 North Carolina Sen. Steve Goss discusses healthcare in Wilkesboro Saturday. Photo by Holt Menzies
|
by EDWARD SZTUKOWSKI
News Editor
Approximately 40 people attended a town hall discussion in Wilkesboro Saturday, sharing stories of health care experiences and opinions of reform.
N.C. Sen. Steve Goss, who represents Ashe, Watauga and Wilkes Counties, facilitated the discussion, giving his own experiences and hearing others.
“I’ve been interested in health care reform since I arrived in office,” Goss said. “[Healthcare] premiums are skyrocketing. There’s something wrong. Something is not working here.”
The discussion was
an open forum-style meeting where people voiced their concerns over
current health care, as well as concerns for the future.
“I can’t
get anyone to cover my wife,” Boone resident Glenn Miller said. “This
policy may not be perfect, but we have to start somewhere.”
The
current health care reform bill would give a public insurance option to
the 46 million uninsured people in the United States. In North Carolina
16.6 percent of people are uninsured, according to Sept. 10 statistics
from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Watauga County, 18.6 percent are
uninsured.
Many at the discussion supported health care reform, though personal responsibility was stressed rather than government action.
“I share
concerns for health care cost,” Beth Lovett, health director in
Wilkesboro said. “We have to strike a balance; we have an obligation to
care for ourselves within our means.”
Lovett
spoke of preventative programs that would stop problems from rising in
the first place. Unfortunately, she said, in a bad budget year, many
prevention programs are being cut.
“We have
the opportunity to get this right,” Goss said. “I have no problem with
people making money, but when it comes to something basic like keeping
your family healthy, bureaucracy shouldn’t get in the way.”
Clyde Ingle of Wilkes County said health care companies operated differently in the 1970s.
“Back
then, health care was a service, not a business,” Ingle said. “Today
it’s a profit-making enterprise. A lot of people are going to fight
this change.”
Goss agreed, and said health care companies have become too selective over who they choose to cover and who they do not.
“The fire department doesn’t stop to see if you have insurance, they put out the fire,” he said.
Goss stressed patience with the health care reform bill and urged everyone to carefully consider what it would do.
“Government
is compromise,” Goss said. “The last thing we want is any kind of
health care bill passed which isn’t actual reform.”
Goss said the current health care reform bill is an actual reform, though it is important not to rush anything.
“There will be tough decisions made,” Goss said. “You can’t just insure 46 million people overnight.”
Photo by Holt Menzies | Chief Photographer
Trackback(0)
 |
Archives 
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments