SEQUIM — Health care reform will take center stage in a public meeting Tuesday as a group of Oregon physicians calling themselves “Mad As Hell Doctors” will promote universal health care and discuss the current proposals for reform.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Sequim High School Auditorium, 601 N. Sequim Ave.
“We have, for the first time, a group of physicians that is stepping forward in this moment of total confusion and fear that’s been fomented on the health care issue,” said Bill Kildall, coordinator of Reform Health Care Now, which is sponsoring the event.
“These doctors will give us their personal opinion in regard to what the problem is, and what the solution is.”
Kildall is expecting a packed house from “Bremerton to Forks” in an auditorium that seats about 670.
‘Educational’ meeting
He does not expect it to resemble the contentious political town hall debates on health care reform.
“This will not be a ‘political town hall meeting,'” Kildall said. “This will be an educational town hall meeting. We don’t anticipate any kind of disruptive behavior.”
People are invited to e-mail questions or personal stories — focused on denial of coverage from unemployment, pre-existing conditions or other pretexts — to qorstory4docs@yahoo.com.
Submissions must be no longer than 250 words.
“I’ve received questions and several personal stories,” Kildall said.
Doctors on tour
“Mad as Hell Doctors” is kicking off a 20-city “care-a-van” in support of a single-payer health care system Sept. 8 in Seattle.
The group will travel to Washington, D.C., in a branded motor home stopping for town hall meetings.
“We have a crisis,” Kildall said, citing the 67 million uninsured in the U.S.
“The doctors believe there is a solution, and they have looked at the whole equation and believe the best way to do a health care program is to have everybody in and nobody out — in other words, a universal program, whereby the total pool of people are covered by the program.
“There’s only one provider that could do that,” Kindall added. “That would be the federal government.”
“Mad as Hell Doctors” will be contrasting the Obama Administration’s public option, which Kildall describes as “very undefined,” with the single-payer option.
“They will also talk about status quo and why we can’t continue with status quo,” Kildall said.
“It’s an issue that touches everyone.”
Dr. Tom Locke, health officer for Clallam and Jefferson counties, will be a panelist at Tuesday’s meeting.
Kildall said insurance and pharmaceutical companies are “making profit off of our health care problems and are contributing” to the crisis.
Reform Health Care Now is a coalition formed by the Clallam County Democratic Party, Clallam County Green Party and Veterans for Piece.
It is supported by the Clallam County League of Women Voters and Citizens for Health Care Access in Jefferson County, Kildall said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
