Doctors Debate Health Care Prescription

We depend on doctors for the answers to keep us healthy. But, do they have the answers when it comes to fixing the health care system? Tuesday night, they took off their white gloves and joined the political fray.

By: Jim Niedelman | WNCT
Published: November 18, 2009

We depend on doctors for the answers to keep us healthy.

But, do they have the answers when it comes to fixing the health care system?

Tuesday night, they took off their white gloves and joined the political fray.

However, even they don't agree on a prescription.

Two doctors.

One blue tie.

One red tie.

It’s a sign of their political alignment in the health care debate.

Their differences exist on the fundamental question of the issue.

Is health care a right?

"If health care's a right, you know, is food a right? Is it a right for people to have housing? Is it a right for people to have cars? And, you know, you cannot, you cannot have something for nothing," said Dr. Steven Powell, a vascular surgeon.

"I'm not smart enough to know if Health care is a right, but I know it's good public policy if all Americans can be afforded the chance to be as healthy as they possibly can," said Dr. Charles Willson, a pediatrician.

E.C.U. medical students organized the debate to address the issue that will directly affect their careers.

Despite basic differences, both doctors agreed the system isn't working now.

They both want malpractice reform, which is not addressed in the current bill.

Both say the system needs to value preventive care with primary care doctors.

And, that people should not be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

There's still wide disagreement whether government intervention would do enough to control costs and provide necessary treatment.

"Government health care programs will be forced to severely restrict services, ration care or deny care to save money," Powell said.

"We have a recipe for disaster with increasing costs for value delivered,” Willson said. “We're going to have more and more rationing whether we want it or not."

There’s one final point of agreement.

They say doctors should be more active in this political process to help shape the system for the better.

The doctors also pointed out that covering the estimated 48 million uninsured Americans would put them in demand.

In fact, they say there could be a shortage of 250,000 doctors by the year 2025.