About 100 doctors and folks living in and around Bell County talked healthcare policy Tuesday, in an attempt to gather local opinions and information to take to the next presidential administration.
Scott & White Center for Healthcare Policy Hospital in Temple was the local site for the Obama-Biden Transition Project.
Doctors said, if the country wants to start moving toward more affordable healthcare, policy should focus solving problems before they start. They said it's less expensive to educate children about proper nutrition, than to operate on them.
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Healthcare
News 8's Brandi Powell talked with Central Texans, and their doctors, about changes they want to see in healthcare policy.
 
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"We're seeing obesity occur in children much much younger than in the past," Pediatric Pulmonologist and Director of Cystic Fibrosis Dr. John Saito said. "So by the time they're in their 20s or 30s they already have problems, that in the past, we would not see until their 40s or 50s or even 60s."
Some argued that healthcare education would hardly meet the next generation's medical needs.
Doctors at Scott and White said Texas has the highest number of uninsured people in the country.
"If we can address the cost of healthcare and make it more affordable, then the insurance will kind of take care of itself, at least that's the hope," Scott & White Director Dr. Jim Rohack said. Rohack served as moderator for the event.
Affordability is a big concern for many residents, especially those who already have a lot on their plate.
Waco resident Carol Vicha said if healthcare policy is about to change, she is concerned with, "especially, the self-employed person that has to pay every bit on their Social Security and on their health insurance."
Dr. Rohack said he hopes more Central Texans will voice their opinion on such issues, for what he calls one of the most important domestic policy issues of 2009.
If you didn't make Tuesday's meeting, you can visit www.healthcarepolicy.sw.org, to give your thoughts on what changes the Obama-Biden administration should consider.
