Health Care to Be Discussed — Meeting Saturday Part of National Effort

By Mary Powers powers@commercialappealcom

National health care reform is the focus of a public meeting set for Saturday in Memphis.

Organizers hope to attract 150 to 200 people to talk about topics ranging from what services the health system should provide and how to pay for them to personal concerns about the current system and how to manage tradeoffs between cost and care.

The meeting is part of a Congressionally mandated effort that sparked creation of the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group. The group is charged with developing recommendations for the President and the Congress about revamping the nation’s health system. The group’s final report is due in September. The same 2003 legislation that launched the working group also requires the President and Congress to respond to its recommendations.

“The current system is obviously not working well for all Americans, even the most affluent. I don’t think we can sustain it,” said Dr. Aaron Shirley, a Mississippi pediatrician who serves on the 15-member working group. Shirley is also an associate professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Earlier hearings included experts in health care reform. In Memphis and at least 14 other cities, Shirley said organizers hope to hear from a broader range of Americans. “We will be listening to people who know what they need. Hopefully they will help us figure out how to get those needs met.”

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Health Care Reform

What: Public meeting on national health care reform

When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday

Where: Bridges, 477 N. Fifth.

Required registration: Call 248-7768 or visit the Web at www.citizenshealthcare.gov.

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