By CJ Ciaramella | News reporter
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.
