By Jade Bulecza - bio | email
HOMERVILLE, GA (WALB) - The debate over health care reform continues and a south Georgia Congressman says that's a good thing.
Representative Jack Kingston stopped in Homerville Monday morning for his 18th town hall meeting on health care reform.
About 20 people were there at the Homerville City Hall Auditorium.
"It seems that the president is still trying to ram through his vision of healthcare which is a real big government take over of it," said Rep. Jack Kingston, (R) Georgia.
The bills discussed ranged from requiring Americans to have health insurance to medical care for illegal aliens.
"They're concerned that taxes are going to go up, that premiums are going to go up, that quality is going to go down and that Medicare is going to get cut," said Rep. Kingston.
One community member said our current system may be "screwed up" but it's still better than health care in some other countries. Another said preventive health care is the way to go.
"I don't know where in the law or in the constitution that guarantees us healthcare," said Keith Flescher.
Kingston says more people need to participate in the health care debate and community member Deborah Kinlaw agrees.
"It's important to me that the American people really look deep into the legislation and make sure that it has the effect it's intended, which is to cover the uninsured," said Deborah Kinlaw.
Several people at the meeting work at a local hospital. Becky Barton, Director of Nurses at Clinch Memorial Hospital, says many hospitals have already closed because of the economy. Reform could have even more of an impact.
Barton says hospitals in bigger cities could feel the burden.
"When you have that many people coming through then the quality of care not that they're meaning to give less quality care but the quality of care is going to decrease," said Becky Barton.
People are concerned from a personal standpoint and from a community standpoint.
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