Adam Searing, North Carolina Justice Center’s Health Access Coalition
The Obama Administration is holding a series of Regional White House Forums to continue discussions about bringing down health care costs and expanding coverage for all Americans. We asked Adam Searing of North Carolina Justice Center’s Health Access Coalition to post a guest blog from the event in Greensboro.
We went, we saw, then we had lunch. Two of us from the North Carolina Justice Center’s Health Access Coalition (HAC) attended the Obama/Governor Perdue forum on health care at NC A&T University in Greensboro, North Carolina on March 31 (great lunch value – $5 all you can eat from salads to subs). The discussion before lunch was also all about value. Obama has made the decision that health care costs are the primary focus of his health effort. Sure, we need to get folks covered but we also have to get costs under control. I agree – we do need to get costs under control, as HAC’s Adam Linker just detailed in a new report, but we can’t lose sight of the imperative to guarantee affordable coverage to everyone.
Access wasn’t one of the three major sections of the forum, but, since it was a public forum, it came up anyway, and I hope that’s one of the big things that the Obama health care point person, Nancy-Ann Deparle, brings back to the White House. Who brought it up best? Dr. Bill Roper, chief of the UNC health care system.
Here’s what he said:
“I urge you to work towards a system quickly that covers everyone. I know you are concerned about cost but if we spend smartly we can cover everyone and deliver quality care.”
His main message – let’s get serious about paying for effective health care and improve quality while we save money, but it is critical that we make access the top priority. I know the polling shows (as well as our health conversations with people all around NC in our HAC forums) that cost is a primary concern for people. However, with NC’s unemployment rate now nearing 11 percent and NC leading the nation in percentage increase in uninsured, access is now more important than ever. Thanks to Bill Roper and several other speakers, that was a theme that came though loud and clear.
We’ll see how the federal health debate plays out, but I’ll leave with this. Nancy-Ann Deparle made clear that the starting gate to fixing our health system is passage of Obama’s budget request for an over $200 billion downpayment to get reform rolling.
Check out some video highlights of the forum.
Adam Searing is the Project Director for the North Carolina Justice Center’s Health Access Coalition, and a regular contributor to The Progressive Pulse blog.
The views expressed by guest bloggers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center for Children and Families.
