Healthcare Issues Are Discussed at Hearing
"What I want from this meeting is for Congress to do their job, and fix the healthcare system."
Speaking through a Korean translator, Lee Young Hoon, 76, vented frustrations shared by many of the 500 attendees at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Saturday. They came for a congressionally sponsored public hearing designed to get citizens' views on healthcare reform.
Some, like Lee, did not hold back. Neither did Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who welcomed the participants.
The mayor, who some consider a possible candidate for higher office in the future, said that the federal government had failed to come up with solutions to the plight of the 46 million Americans who lack health insurance.
"If you're a Democrat or Republican running for president
The hearing was organized by the Citizens' Health Care Working Group, a nonpartisan commission created by Congress to seek input on improving the healthcare system. The issue of major reform has lain relatively dormant for some time -- since the Clinton administration's plan imploded in the 1990s -- but now is gaining political traction.
The commission, including the secretary of Health and Human Services and 14 others, has met in eight other cities for public input and plans to meet in about 20 more. It will submit recommendations to Congress and President Bush in September.
"The point is to bring voices that are underrepresented -- which are the citizens' -- to the debate on healthcare policy," said Therese Hughes, a Los Angeles-area commission member.
The commission has identified key problems: soaring healthcare costs, high rates of medical error, and lack of access to needed care.
The daylong event used computers and instant polling to gauge public sentiment. Attendees were split into groups of about 10 at round tables, where they discussed the kinds of healthcare services that should be provided and how they should be funded. After a brief debate, a volunteer at each table typed suggestions into laptops.
Separately, attendees would take instant polls on questions by punching in their choices on wireless hand-held devices. Among the questions was: "Should it be public policy that all Americans have affordable healthcare coverage?" Ninety-five percent said yes.
But disagreements arose on who should pay what for coverage. A bare majority, 51%, said wealthier people should pay more for health insurance, while 11% said sicker people should pay more. Twenty percent said everyone should pay the same.
