President Barack Obama has announced regional forums, patterned after the healthcare reform summit held last week at the White House, to be hosted by the governors of California, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and Vermont in March or early April.
According to a White House statement, the forums will be in keeping with the Obama administration’s commitment to a transparent, accountable government and will provide an opportunity for Americans to voice their concerns and ideas about reforming the U.S. healthcare system.
"Healthcare reform is a fiscal imperative," Obama said. "Skyrocketing healthcare costs are draining our federal budget, undermining our long-term economic prosperity and devastating American families. The time for reform is now and these regional forums are some of the key first steps toward breaking the stalemate we have been stuck in for far too long."
Participants at the forums will include doctors, patients, providers, policy experts, "everyday" Americans, senior Obama administration officials and Republican and Democrat local, state and federal officials. The events will begin with a video recorded by the president, a summary of the findings from the healthcare community discussions that took place in December, and an overview of the discussion that took place at the March 5 White House forum on health reform.
Seven "everyday" Americans were invited to the White House forum on March 5, along with some 120 lawmakers and special interest groups.
Photo obtained under Creative Commons license. -Ed