Diverse Panel Agrees On Solving the Uninsured Crisis, but Differ
On the Path
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Is good health a right? That was the question Larry King posed to a panel of six experts in the healthcare and business industries at his State of Heart & Health Care in America symposium on Thursday, June 7. The discussion was sponsored by George Washington University Hospital, who provided the venue, and The Larry King Cardiac Foundation, which was established by Larry King after his quintuple bypass surgery, to provide treatment for cardiac patients who are among the 46 million Americans who are uninsured.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3857
Representatives from business, healthcare, prevention and advocacy were represented by industry voices: John Castellani, president of Business Roundtable, David Merritt of The Gingrich Group's Center for Health Transformation; medical experts Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, Director of National Heart Lung Blood Institute, Dr. Steve Nissen, Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic and immediate past president of American College of Cardiology, Dr. Mark Carlson, Chief Medical Officer for St. Jude Medical; and Irene Pollin, Founder of Sister to Sister, an organization that provides free heart screenings to women and men in cities across America.
"What needs to be done" was the issue that bridged the distance between political parties. Merritt, who works for former Speaker Gingrich, stated: "Senator Hillary Clinton has it right - we agree on the goal, but differ on how to get there."
At the turn of the century, TB was the #1 cause of death; heart disease was not in the top ten. Dr. Nissen wanted the group to consider the day when American get proper healthcare and follow procedures to prevent cardiac problems, so that one heart victim makes the news.
Larry King was reminded of a remark by Dr. Michael DeBakey, who performed the first successful coronary bypass and the first successful artificial heart implant, "If we spent on healthcare what we spend on war, an artificial heart would cost about $25."
Immediately after the discussion, the audience of physicians, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, healthcare advocates and healthcare media, were invited to join Irene Pollin and Larry King to get screened just outside of the auditorium at George Washington University Hospital where the symposium was held. For three hours, the Sister To Sister associates gave free heart screenings to125 people; it included screening for hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. They also offered one-on-one counseling after the screening, so participants would understand the results and what action steps were needed to improve their health. Larry King's screening showed he had a healthy blood pressure of 130 over 76.
Volunteers from the Robert Wood Johnson's "Cover the Uninsured" also supplied brochures to visitors and helped at least five individuals enroll in health coverage programs throughout the day. Also on hand were members of the "Divided We Fail" campaign of the AARP, which keeps the public better-informed on the health care crisis across the U.S.
This effort is just one of several upcoming panels and healthcare screenings that The Larry King Cardiac Foundation will conduct across the country. Until the healthcare issues are solved, the Foundation continues to provide critical information from industry experts as well as cardiac treatment to uninsured persons who are awaiting those solutions.
For further information about LKCF, click on: www.lkcf.org
The Larry King Cardiac Foundation logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=558
The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
