All Americans should have access to quality health care coverage, speakers said at a forum on Wednesday.
Physician and author Danielle Ofri presented her new book “Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients,” specifically linking it to the current state of American health care at The First Parish Church in Cambridge.
Ofri read excerpts from her new book to an audience of about 70, focusing primarily on her interactions with patients and giving example of personal experiences that improved her understanding of her work.
Amy Slemmer, executive director for Health Care for All, a Massachusetts organization aiming to make health care accessible to everyone, also spoke at the forum.
She said that contrary to a popular belief, she does not think Senator-elect Scott Brown’s ascension to the Senate will slow down the health care reform process, and said that he had voted for health care reform in 2006.
“The politics may have changed but the principles have not changed,” Slemmer said.
Slemmer spoke positively about the Massachusetts health care system, and said that the Bay State has the lowest uninsured rate in the nation.
She said national health care reform is important because it focuses on consumer engagement and public access to information.
One of the most impressive provisions on the Senate bill is the aim of greater workforce diversity, Slemmer said. Referencing Ofri’s multicultural experiences, she emphasized the need for people of different backgrounds to enable a better understanding of individual patients’ needs.
The new national health care reform bill may potentially lift the five-year bar for immigrants, Slemmer said.
“Around 40,000 people die needlessly because of lack of access to health care . . . We believe firmly that we must press for health care reform,” Slemmer said.
“We are in phase two of reform. We are focusing on more generous benefits . . . and a different payment system for health care. We should work towards wellness, rather than collecting sick profiles,” she said.
Focusing on how Massachusetts would benefit from health care reform, Slemmer said the new reform system focuses on “increased subsidies for people whose incomes are below the poverty level, tax exemptions for small business and grants for research and innovation.”
The host of the discussion, Cambridge Forum Director Patricia Suhrcke, proceeded to a question and answer session after both speakers had finished their lectures.
She asked Ofri how the health care system should be changed, to which the doctor replied that she believed the medical rankings failed to focus on things that really mattered.
“I don’t think they measure psycho-social factors,” Ofri said. “When you’re looking for a doctor for your child, you rarely look at where the doctor graduated from or their stats.”
A member of the audience asked the speakers about immigrant patients and health care.
“Health Care for All advocates very strongly on behalf of some 30,000 aliens with special status who used to have access to health care … but do not because of budget cuts,” Slemmer said.
The audience member showed particular interest about health care coverage for illegal immigrants.
“No program is available for them right now,” Slemmer said.
She emphasized that the reason the health care reform bill has not been passed yet was because citizens have not pushed hard enough for it.
“I think we have not demanded that it’s time to cover everyone,” she said. “We have not demanded to pass health care. But a simple phone call can make a difference. Police for all. Fire brigades for all. Why can’t we have health care for all?”
Slemmer also said she believed college students should know about health care and the medical profession in general.
“Don’t be turned off, she said. “You are most definitely in a place to really help and actually make a difference.”
Slemmer said health care was very relevant to college students, and encouraged them to become more engaged in the issue.
“There are very expensive plans and the new reforms focus on making it as inexpensive as possible,” she said. “College students have to get involved, a mass student movement is important.”
College of Communication freshman Ariel Utin said the event was informative.
“[It was] very helpful to hear different points of views,” Utin said. “College students should attend such events and it is sad that most students don’t even watch the news.”
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