Category | News

Coles to host health care forum

Published on February 9, 2010 by Christopher McLeod

Coles College of Business will host a health care forum Thursday, Feb. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. to discuss the current health care reform debate.

“The critical issue with health care is rising cost, which continues to limit access because it is too expensive. Our panelists will discuss the causes of rising cost, the reasons for limited access and the best way to limit cost increases while expanding access to it,” said Don Sabbarese, the host of the forum and director of the Econometric Center at the Coles College of Business.

Some of the questions the panel will address are what Congress has not considered, how it will impact medical school applications, what happens if it fails and errors in logic in the program.

The panelists will be coming together from a variety of backgrounds in the health care industry to discuss their perspective on health care reform. The panel will include Rep. Phil Gingrey, Attorney Tobin Watt of Smith Moore Leatherwood, Executive Vice President and CFO Jim Budzinski of WellStar Health System and Dr. Kenneth Braunstein.

Rep. Gingrey is a graduate of Georgia Tech and the Medical College of Georgia. He is a medical doctor who ran his own pro-life OB-GYN practice for 26 years. He served on the Georgia Senate from 1999 until 2003 and was elected congressman for Georgia’s 11th District in 2002. He is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee where he is working to improve America’s health care policy.

Among panelists, Watt will be speaking about health care reform from a legal standpoint. “Health care has become unbelievably complicated and regulated,” said Watt.

Health care reform is one of the more controversial pieces of legislation Congress is trying to pass. Watt has practiced health care law for more than 20 years and has represented hospitals, physician groups and various ancillary providers on a variety of health care matters.

After the panelists speak, there will be a short Q&A session. The health care forum will be held at KSU Center. To attend, RSVP to 770-423-6450 or ljones@kennesaw.edu.