Americans Speak on Health Reform: Report on Health Care Community Discussions

II. Participation in Health Care Community Discussions

C. Sample of the Health Care Community Discussions

The reports were far reaching in substance and style. Here, we include four illustrative Health Care Community Discussions. They provide a glimpse of the opinions and ideas about health reform that emerged from the thousands of Health Care Community Discussions. To read more of the group reports submitted by Health Care Community Discussions from across the country, please visit www.HealthReform.gov.

Longmont, Colorado Health Care Community Discussion

On December 29, 18 residents of Longmont, Colorado, gathered in a home to discuss the following questions: "What should a good health care policy include?" and "How do we get involved in bringing about a better system?" The Health Care Community Discussion host described the meeting as "a truly grassroots event in a small town in Colorado where the political spectrum is changing." One participant's story illustrated the devastation often inflicted upon families by a broken health care system that forces many Americans to delay care. A single mother with two teenage sons, ages 17 and 15, had felt sick but continued working her two jobs to support her family. As described in the group report, "When [the mother] ended up in the emergency room, tests showed that her heart was so damaged by a virus that it only function[ed] at 30% of capacity....Her heart function is now only 25%." In addition to the mother's heart condition, her eldest son was diagnosed with bone cancer only when he was admitted to the emergency room after suffering from leg pain for "months." Consequentially, as described in the group report, "A family that had been self sufficient is now destitute with two members suffering from life threatening illnesses which could have been alleviated with early health care." The Longmont group cited cost as the biggest problem in the health care system and remarked, "[I]ndividuals fail to seek services because they are afraid of costs."

University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida) Health Care Community Discussion

On December 22, approximately 70 people attended a Health Care Community Discussion hosted by the Department of Public Administration within the College of Health and Public Affairs at the University of Central Florida's Orlando campus. Participants included everyday Americans and representatives from social service and local government agencies, medical offices, and various academic disciplines. Attendees cited access to care as the most significant problem with our current system, particularly for children and the uninsured. Other problems identified during the Health Care Community Discussion included needing to cover the uninsured, affordability, disparities in the cost of care, the quality of practitioners, the need to improve efficiency and patient services through medical technology, and an inadequate focus on preventive care.

One attendee from Belle Isle, Florida, shared her story about the impact of the high costs of health care on her ability to keep her family healthy. Her family was denied insurance because she has a pre-existing condition and her husband has high blood pressure. She was unable to purchase an insurance plan for her one year-old daughter without an adult being on the same plan. As a result, she had to delay required immunizations for her infant daughter because each shot cost $125. She further explained, "My husband's employer provides health care coverage, but we cannot afford the $1,200 monthly premiums. His $48,000 salary did not qualify us for Medicaid. We do not consider ourselves poor, and we are conservatives living within our means. I believe that all Americans should receive basic coverage and medically necessary medications. American citizens should be able to visit their own doctor or locate a doctor where they do not have to pass the welfare line to be treated." The UCF Health Care Community Discussion was covered by a local NPR radio station (WMFE), a local television station (WESH, Channel 2 NBC News), the Orlando Sentinel, and the UCF Newsroom⁷.

Oakland, California Health Care Community Discussion

On December 30, a pastor from Oakland, California, hosted a Health Care Community Discussion to talk about "the health care system...how it can be better, and [how it can] provide care for all citizens." She also organized the meeting to discuss how the then-incoming Administration should address the rising costs of prescription drugs and health care services. The meeting participants included "a doctor who has traveled to Cuba to observe their health care system, a teacher, a public health nurse, a pastor who works with mentally disabled offenders, a pastor who is also a hospice chaplain, a psychologist, and a pharmaceutical representative."

Participants talked about their struggles with the cost of health care. A teacher with two children revealed that she cannot afford the more than $1,000 per month it would cost to insure her children, leaving her to choose between providing food or health care for her family. The group also discussed their difficulties in choosing doctors because they felt there was "no informed way of making this decision."

The attendees were not familiar with the types of preventive services Americans should receive, and they thought that "public policy should make it mandatory that employers and insurance companies inform the public." The group brainstormed ways in which public policy could promote healthier lifestyles. Participants suggested that "schools should be required to have [physical education] five days a week [and] sports for all students" and that "there should be more affordable and free [health] centers where people can exercise."

Rockland, Delaware Health Care Community Discussion

On December 19, a group of 7 individuals from the Wilmington, Delaware area met to discuss health care reform. The host outlined her motivation for holding a Health Care Community Discussion in her sign-up: "As we look toward policy and other changes in the health care system, I believe it is important to first make sure everyone sees the problems more fully, with less blame, and with a sense of commitment of responsibility to assist in this change. As the local community group reconnects, they provide an important source not only of information and feedback...they also become an important source for change....My hope is that our small group Health Care Community Discussion will steer in this direction."

The group met on a Friday evening and discussed problems people faced, including the inability to afford co-payments or insurance, medical mistakes, and inadequate quality of care. The group offered several recommendations, including providing affordable access to quality health care for all; prioritizing intervention at all levels, such as a greater focus on prevention; and openly acknowledging and addressing our "culture of unhealthy lifestyles and externalizing responsibility." After reflecting on both positive and negative experiences with the health care system, the group decided they would commit to take action locally by encouraging and developing health related community projects that could "help reform self-care aspects of health care⁸."