All the Shouting Getting You Down? Finding Truth in Health Reform

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Sep 12th, 2009

All the Shouting Getting You Down? Finding Truth In Health Reform

Public News Service-KY
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- The noise around the health reform debate is becoming so loud that some are afraid it will drown out the truth. Last week, Rep. John Yarmuth heard the jeers of those at a town hall meeting who don't agree with his support of a public health care option.

 

Laura Dean Friedrich, director of education and advocacy at Protestants for the Common Good, says many people cannot figure out whether the proposed legislation would be good for their families or not. That's because it seems like most of the media coverage has been focused on the protests and accusations, she says.

 

"The danger is that we won't make a good decision because we get focused on the conflict rather than focused on what the actual facts are."

 

Yarmuth has said he's willing to sacrifice his political career to vote for a plan he feels best serves the people of Kentucky. Opponents of the public option say it is a first step towards socialized medicine.

 

Friedrich says it's up to people in Kentucky to educate themselves by looking for trusted non-partisan sources.

 

"The Kaiser Foundation, for example, has some excellent material. It's very complex, it's not a quick read, but it's excellent material."

 

A report done this year by the group Families USA indicates as many as one in three Kentuckians may be uninsured. Friedrich says she understands that people with coverage are afraid of losing what they already have.

 

"If we work together we don't have to be afraid. We are smart people in this country. We can figure out how to do this."

 

Additional information is available at www.thecommongood.org.

  

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