As the national health care debate continues unabated, the campus community is stepping into the fray, hosting several debates and forums on the issue.
On Tue., Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in Gerlinger Lounge, the University Debate and Speech team will host an exhibition debate between its two best teams over the statement: “Resolved: health care is not a human right.”
Hailey Sheldon, one of the debate coaches, said the debate will give students the opportunity to “see both sides of an issue where anything can be said and has to be weighed equally.”
“I think the campus consensus is that health care is a human right,” Sheldon said. “It’s a pretty liberal campus, so people may expect a blowout, but I think they will be surprised by how persuasive the arguments on both sides are.”
Sheldon said the debate will use Haiti as a focal point. The decision was made because Brian Concannon Jr., director of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, is visiting campus on Monday.
Concannon will be holding a discussion on health care as a universal human right. The event is co-hosted by students of the Oregon Brain Trust and the Robert D. Clark Honors College Student Association and will take place Monday at 7 p.m. in the Living Learning Center Performance Hall.
Sheldon said the team invited Concannon to the debate but does not know if he will attend. The debate is the first in a series of exhibitions being held by the debate team on the first Tuesday of every regular school month.
On Wednesday, a health care forum was held on campus, co-hosted by the Student Insurgent, the Survival Center, OSPIRG and the Asclepiads Pre-Med Society.
A three-person panel gave short speeches on health care reform and fielded questions from the audience. The panel was composed of OSPIRG advocate Laura Etherton, Dr. Paul Qualtere-Burcher, a practicing physician and University philosophy professor and State Representative Phil Barnhart (D-Central Lane and Linn Counties).
All of the panel unequivocally supported comprehensive reform, as did most of the 80 or so people in attendance. There was no dissent or heckling, as was seen at many health care forums around the country in recent months.
Barnhart focused mostly on reform efforts at the state level. He said expanding health care coverage would “bend the cost curve down.”
But ultimately, he said, “the long-term solution to this issue is a single payer plan.”
Qualtere-Burcher argued for reforming tort law with regards to medical malpractice, as well as changing the profit incentives, which favor specialists over general care physicians. But in the long-run, Qualtere-Burcher said, “Profit doesn’t belong in health care. If you’re chasing a profit, you’re not focusing on patient care.”
Etherton also agreed that health care reform is only the first step.
“Both Oregon and federal reform shift the boat away from an iceberg and into open sea,” she said, “but we’re not done. We have to get the boat to shore.”
During the question-and-answer session, Ryan McCarrel, the president of the College Democrats, stood up and conducted an impromptu poll, asking the audience if it supported the way President Obama and the Democrats have handled the health care issue so far.
Only two people raised their hands. However, when asked if they supported a public option, nearly all of those in attendance raised their hands.
McCarrel urged the audience “not to let cynicism and doubt” betray their conviction.
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University hosts health care debate
Daily Emerald
October 29, 2009
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