Health care reform discussion continues tonight in Wetumpka

July 9, 10:11 AMBirmingham Community ExaminerLuann Dawkins

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Birmingham Community Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Doctors discuss the dangers of socialized medicine
 
On Tuesday night at Bethel Worship Center in Wetumpka, regional talk
radio host Kevin Elkins moderated a healthcare forum sprung from
Alabama's grass roots. Wetumpkan couple Eric and Becky Gerritson
sponsored and promoted the event to raise awareness of the looming
"Obamacare" legislation. Congressional Democrats hope to rush the
legislation through the House of Representatives before the scheduled
August recess. Some doctors hope they won't.
 
After a word of prayer and two short films, Dr. Bart Cook and Dr.
Robert Bentley, pediatric cardiologist and dermatologist,
respectively, fielded questions for ninety minutes. The questions
came from an audience of concerned local citizens and ranged in topic
from organ transplants to euthanasia to the ethics of profit-seeking
in modern medicine. Both doctors agreed that American medicine is
already socialized due to medicare and medicaid. Both also maintained
that a single-payer system would be disastrous to American medicine
because it would remove all benefits of competition in the
marketplace, reducing doctor pay, increasing bureaucracy and
exacerbating the "assembly line" delivery of patient care.
 
The Wetumpka healthcare forum continues on Thursday, July 9th, again
at 6:30 PM at Bethel Worship Center. On Thursday, 31-year veteran of
family practice Dr. Bob Mullins an ear, nose and throat surgeon and Dr.
Rick Love will take over the speaker panel, along with Stan Malkemus,
a 31 year pharmacist who has spent his time working in independent
pharmacies in Southeast Alabama. Kevin Elkins will return to
moderate. The event is open to the public.