Debate remains civil, informative

Chad Whiteley shares his views of healthcare reform, at the Healthcare Reform Debate sponsored by the Democratic Club of Kern River Valley and moderated by an Independent, John-Henry Strathmann.

Cathy Perfect
Kern Valley Sun

COMMENTARY:

The Kern River Valley’s first public debate on healthcare reform, sponsored by the Democratic Club of Kern River Valley, drew a sizeable crowd Monday night at the Senior Center in Lake Isabella. Due primarily to the efforts of moderator John-Henry Strathmann, who spent the first 10 to 15 minutes of the meeting laying down the ground rules, the crowd maintained an atmosphere of civility throughout the evening.

The Aug. 24 forum can be seen as a microcosm of the national town hall debates citizens have attended, witnessed, or simply ignored. Some speakers – more representative of the fringe elements, such as Mischelle Sandowich, played the “this will give the government the power to pull the plug on grandma” card, complete with references to Nazi Germany determining whose lives are worth saving.

On the other end of the spectrum was Gary Amstutz, president of the sponsoring group, who focused on what he wants to see in the way of reform and how it will be paid for. “I’m in favor of Medicare for everyone,” he said. Amstutz railed against the health insurance companies, noting that their administrative costs (estimated at 33% - 35%) continue to drive the cost of health care coverage ever upward. “By implementing a single payer program, with administrative costs estimated at three percent, there would be more than enough money to pay for insurance coverage for all,” he said, addressing a how-will-we-fund-it question.

More than anything else, the evening demonstrated how little the public understands about the various proposals being considered in the U.S. House and Senate. Citizens’ uncertainty and fear were underlying factors in many of the night’s questions.

Dr. Jack Nadler summed up the conundrum with his view, “Are we going to work together to find a solution? Will we take care of each other? Or will we sink or swim on our own, as individuals?” He added, “These are two different philosophies and I think that’s the crux of the problem.”

Because of time constraints at press time, the brief synopsis that appears here will be supplemented with more in depth coverage on our website and in next week’s issue.