America's current health care system is unsustainable and must be fixed, a former high-ranking Air Force official said Friday.
Speaking to a standing-room-only crowd at the Cleveland County Democratic Party's weekly Tyner Cornbread and Beans luncheon, Dr. Katherine Scheirman, former chief of Medical Operations for the U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said the country's health care system is one of the most expensive in the world.
"We don't have a system that works," Scheirman said. "The system we have now is unsustainable."
Scheirman, who retired from the Air Force with the rank of colonel, said the current debate about health care "is not the type of debate we should be having."
"Some people are telling blatant lies," she said.
As an example Scheirman cited claims by some critics that the Obama administration was pushing for "socialized" medicine.
"No one has proposed anything approaching socialized medicine," she said. "That's ludicrous."
The United States, she said, spends over $2 trillion per year on health care -- more than 50 percent per person more than the next most costly nation.
"Our country's health care costs are rising at two times the inflation rate," she said.
And while Scheirman predicted the current measure working its way through Congress will "not please everyone" she said it would be "a tremendous, tremendous start."
"The bill isn't perfect," she said. "It's actually a very conservative proposal."
Scheirman also blasted claims the measure would establish "death panels, euthanasia, government-driven rationing and socialized medicine."
"Those are blatant lies and completely false issues," she said. "Those ideas are offensive. This measure is supported by the AARP, and do you think the AARP would support a bill that called for killing old folks?"
She said the only group that has tried to interfere in end-of-life issues was a group of Republican senators "who tried to overrule the family in the Terry Shivo case."
While the final version of the president's proposal won't be decided for a while, Scheirman said several components have been agree to, including:
· Expanding health care coverage
· Providing subsidies to middle income families to purchase health insurance.
· Requiring coverage.
· Making most employers contribute to their employees' health care.
· Some limited exemptions for small businesses.
· Reforming the insurance market
· No discrimination for pre-existing conditions.
· No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses or co-pays.
· No cost-sharing for preventive care.
· No dropping of coverage if the policy holder becomes seriously ill.
· No gender discrimination.
· No annual or lifetime caps on coverage.
· Extending coverage to young adults, up to age 26.
· Guaranteed insurance renewal as long as premiums are paid.
"We have to improve the system," she said. "No other country lets its citizens go bankrupt over health care costs."
The debate, she said, is a moral issue.
"Our system is broken. No other country that is overhauling its health care system even looks at the U.S. as an example."
M. Scott Carter 366-3545 scarter@normantranscript.com
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Health care system broken, Air Force doctor says
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