Health Reform

II. Participation in Health Care Community Discussions

D. Articles on Health Care Community Discussions

Hundreds of local papers around the country announced and reported on area Health Care Community Discussions, including the following stories:

KSNW NBC 3 in Wichita, Kansas; the Kennebec Journal in Augusta, Maine; KOB.com NBC 4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and numerous other media outlets across the country announced discussions in their community and encouraged area residents to get involved ⁹. 9 KSNW NBC 3 publicized an upcoming Health Care Community Discussion at the Metropolitan Coffee House in Hutchinson, Kansas, and the meeting moderator Bunny Czarnopys said that, "They're looking for the stories of Kansans and input...The stories of Kansas aren't unique to stories across the country but one of them may catch the attention of the health care policy transition team. It's the grassroots movement that [has] made major changes in the US healthcare policy in the past⁹."
The Tuscaloosa News in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, covered a Health Care Community Discussion attended by 50 residents at a local high school, where participants discussed treatment costs, the importance of education in living healthier lives, how to make benefits easier to obtain, and ensuring access to medical care in rural areas¹¹.
The Alaska Journal of Commerce wrote a story on an Anchorage, Alaska, gathering of over 150 participants at an area library. Attendees highlighted that their major concerns were the high costs of health care services and insurance, as well as the lack of emphasis on prevention. They also discussed that the shortage of health care providers at all levels contributed to rising costs, especially in rural Alaska, where residents may have to pay hundreds of dollars just to travel to the nearest community for care¹².
The Southern Utah Spectrum covered a Health Care Community Discussion in St. George, Utah, where attendees ranged from retirees and health care professionals to the unemployed and uninsured. Participants highlighted problems with the health care system, including too many layers of complexity, no affordable universal coverage, difficulty accessing health care, and lack of funding for preventive care¹³.
The Citizen-Times in Asheville, North Carolina, reported on a potluck dinner discussion attended by 18 local residents. The group spent nearly two hours talking about "ways the new administration could make health care more affordable and easier to access." Brian Moore, who attended the meeting, said, "The one thing people uniformly agree on is that the health care system is broken and needs to be revamped. If we don't begin to take a more active role in our personal health and health care in this country, we only have ourselves to blame¹⁴."
The Reno Gazette-Journal in Reno, Nevada, covered a Health Care Community Discussion attended by 125 people at the Grand Sierra Resort. Participants discussed preventive care, the cost of prescription drugs, availability of care, and problems with insurance companies. Dr. Richard Fleming, who attended the Health Care Community Discussion said, "We need a voice. We should have more public discussions as bills are being debated¹⁵."
The Herald-Mail, in Charles Town, West Virginia, reported on a local group that gathered at a coffee shop. The group drafted a nine-plank platform addressing issues such as the prohibitive cost of insurance and the lack of access to quality health care. One of the hosts, Karen Spurier, opened the meeting by stating, "Clearly our health care system needs to change. The question is how¹⁶."
The Star Tribune of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, wrote about a business executive, Roger Vang, who hosted a Health Care Community Discussion. Vang initially looked at Change.gov to learn about the potential impact of health care reform on his company. He saw Senator Daschle's call to host a Health Care Community Discussion and responded. Despite a severe snowstorm, dozens of people, including members from a local manufacturing group and the Chamber of Commerce, packed Vang's company lunchroom to share their opinions on health care¹⁷.