|
Sunday, May 22, 2005
'Everyday people' weigh in on health care
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
 |
||||||
BIDDEFORD — The room buzzed with lively debate on health care, the type of conversations usually heard at the State House. But those talking Saturday were not lawmakers and lobbyists. Rather, there was the single mother from Springvale who struggles to afford health insurance for herself and her daughter. The town manager from Poland who says he wants to keep up the quality of health insurance for employees without bankrupting the town. The Portland science teacher who wants to see young people in Maine thrive and be healthy. "Everyday people" is what Gov. John Baldacci called the Mainers he invited to the state's "focus group" on health care. From more than 1,000 invitations sent out, slightly more than 300 people converged on the University of New England in Biddeford and the University of Maine at Orono, which were linked by video-conferencing. With the exception of age - disproportionately few people under 35 showed up - and geography - there were 100 more people in Biddeford than Orono - the randomly selected participants largely reflected the state in terms of gender, race and economic background, according to surveys taken at the beginning of the meeting. Over seven hours of "Tough Choices in Health Care," participants worked in groups of 10 or so, sharing their opinions on health care - how to improve quality, reduce costs and expand access. Then, using electronic keypads, they ranked their favorite ideas. "All of our answers are couched in terms of where we come from and what we do," said Richard Chick, the town manager from Poland who attended the event in Biddeford. The governor said the input taken Saturday will be used to inform the biennium state health plan due in December. With the event potentially costing upwards of $400,000, it is a strategy that has been criticized as self-serving and extravagant at a time of budget crunches. Republicans and the Maine Hospital Association have said that the Democratic governor is using the event to show he has public support for his Dirigo Health reforms. Indeed, participants agreed with the governor that caps on the costs of health care providers and insurers are a good way to reduce health care spending. But about half the participants voted that the best path to increasing access to health insurance is to establish a single-payer health insurance system, not DirigoChoice, a government-subsidized health insurance program created by the Baldacci administration. Expanding DirigoChoice got 10 percent of the vote; expanding the state's Medicaid program, another Baldacci health initiative, got 8 percent. A vote later taken on the combination of the two generated more support. Whatever the outcome of "Tough Choices," Baldacci said it "will be the foundation of our continuing effort to expand affordable health care to all Maine citizens." Split into tables led by a discussion facilitator, participants moved through dozens of topics at a rapid-fire pace, tackling along the way some of the most controversial questions facing the state. On whether to cap new medical technology, Constant Bamani, 50, was among the majority of participants who sided with Baldacci's administration in favoring limits. That way, "we can control our resources," said Bamani, the science teacher from Portland. But Carol Lestock, a 44-year-old librarian from Brunswick, said, "I would trust the doctors and hospitals to make that decision." Participants followed a discussion guide written by policy experts hired by the governor's Office of Health Policy and Finance. Ideas were listed with their pros and cons. For example, a single-payer system would provide universal coverage, according to the guide, but it likely would raise taxes. Participants were invited to come up with their own ideas, but that was a daunting task for some of those unfamiliar with health care policy. Some novices found themselves ceding conversation to participants who work in the health care system. "I feel a little bit lost in some of the things we're talking about," said 37-year-old Elizabeth Winder of Springvale, who works in the kitchen of a rehabilitation center to support herself and her 12-year-old daughter. "It's all so mind-boggling, but fascinating." The event was funded largely by the Maine Health Access Foundation, which initially provided a $318,000 grant. After a snowstorm forced the event to be postponed from March 12 to Saturday, the foundation awarded another $189,000 to help the organizers cover the cost of rescheduling and bringing back AmericaSpeaks, the national nonprofit that coordinated the event. The governor's office said it is not clear whether all the money will be used. Roughly $40,000 more in grants came from groups including the Betterment Fund, Jane's Trust, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Maine Community Foundation and the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
Staff Writer Josie Huang can be contacted at 791-6364 or at:
|
||||||
