Students should start paying attention to the rising cost of health care in the United States, said Tom Daschle, former Senate majority leader of the Democratic Party, in a telephone interview with The Lantern.
At the request of close friend John Glenn, Daschle will speak at the 2010 Stanley Muroff Civil Liberties Forum at 4 p.m. today in the Fawcett Center Assembly Hall.
The forum’s topic of discussion is health care reform, which Daschle said he strongly believed was needed. The former senator said he remains in close contact with legislators who worked on the reform throughout the entire process. In December, Daschle became a senior policy adviser for DLA Piper, an international legal practice and strategic consulting firm.
Even though President Obama signed the health care bill nearly four months after his original deadline and among declining public opinion, Daschle remained optimistic that the bill would pass.
“If we didn’t get something done soon, students would have paid for our inaction,” Daschle said. “They would spend twice as much for half the amount of health care benefits.”
Beginning in the fall, the bill will be implemented gradually over the next eight years. However, Daschle said that court challenges and states unwilling to adopt the bill could hinder the process.
“We’re on the 30 yard line — we need to go 70 more yards,” Daschle said.
Hank Wilson, communication director for the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, said a large reason that a John Glenn School committee chose the forum topic of health care is because current students are the generation the bill will most likely effect.
Wilson said he hopes students are excited about the opportunity to generate discussion about a real-world issue.
“Sometimes [students] live in a vacuum, only concentrating on things that relate to their schoolwork,” he said.
Daschle plans on concentrating on three main aspects of health care: access, quality and cost.
Jennifer Carlson, director of external relations for the Ohio State Medical Center, is looking forward to how the health care bill provides access to health care for those who do not have it.
“For every additional 1 percent of unemployed people, 1 million more become uninsured,” Daschle said.
The OSU Medical Center admits many uninsured patients, Carlson said. “We do not turn anyone away.”
For those who cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses, the Medical Center helps them set up payment plans.
Health care reform will help alleviate the burden on hospitals that find it their duty to take on the responsibility of providing care without compensation.
“We operate under a sick-care system rather than a well-care system,” Carlson said, who hoped preventative medical measures are included in the new health care bill.
Although Daschle has never been to OSU, he is excited to have the opportunity to speak here, particularly to the students, he said.
“Ohio State is held in extraordinary regard throughout the country,” Daschle said.
The Glenn School has paid past forum speakers to speak, however the school is only paying for Daschle’s travel expenses because of his friendship with John Glenn, said Laura Sipe, event and communications coordinator for the Office of Academic Affairs.
The sold-out 500-seat event was originally scheduled for Feb. 9 but was postponed because of winter storms across the U.S.
Those on the wait-list are invited to come, as additional seating might become available, Sipe said.
For those who would like to watch the event and are unable to attend, the John Glenn School of Public Affairs website will broadcast a live video feed.
The event is co-sponsored by the John Glenn School of Public Affairs and the OSU Medical Center.
