S.A. to host free forum on health care reform

Now that health care reform is one step closer to reality, the debate over its merits is heating up. Next week, San Antonians will have a chance to hear some of the foremost experts in the country talk about the key issues in a free public forum.

Sweeping changes to the country's $2.5 trillion medical system is the hottest topic on Capitol Hill. Even the doctors on the front lines have widely varied views on what should change. Now, the U.T. Health Science Center, training the next generation of doctors, is hosting a forum called "Health Care is Broken:? How do we fix it?" It will be a non-partisan discussion of what's wrong with the current system.

Dr. Ruth Berggren is the director of the UTHSC Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics. "In medical education," she said, "we spend very little time talking about how health is financed. And consequently, it's difficult for our students, when they get out into the real world, to become well-oriented."

Many of the doctors and students at UTHSC worked with the uninsured, but Berggren said they will lack a "big picture" view of health care reform. Monday's lecture will include the president of the American Medical Association, as well as an Obama administration representative in what promises to be a lively discussion.

"This is a very important time in the history of our nation," Berggren emphasized. "We're standing at the crossroads and having to make a decision about the delivery of health care. And this is an historic moment. For anyone who needs health care, which is all of us, it's a germane event."

The forum takes place on Monday night, October 19^th, at 6 p.m. at the U.T. Health Science Center auditorium. It's free and open to all.