Increasing numbers of uninsured patients and costs of health care will be addressed by medical and ethical specialists Thursday. "The Ethics of Health Care Diagnostics" will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday in Oklahoma Memorial Union.
A major concern that will be addressed is the increasing number of uninsured people, said Michael Anderson, president of the Presbyterian Health Foundation.
"We have a great number of children who are going to be cut off in some cases," Anderson said. "Out of our budget priorities, I think we need to keep education and health care at the top."
Costs are rising for malpractice insurance and some doctors will not perform major operations because they fear the cost of insurance, said speaker Dr. Jack Bellar, incoming president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association.
"All doctors want to take care of their patients," Bellar said. "This is not about the cost of being a doctor, this is about the cost of being a patient and what it will be like if medical care is not available."
Dr. Edward Brandt, regents professor with OU Health Sciences Center, said he is worried uninsured patients may not be able to receive care because of rising costs for hospitals.
"In the past, we've always been able to deal with uninsured patients by cost shifting," Brandt said. "Unfortunately, that has changed. If hospitals continue to close, we are going to be left with less care."
Joy Tate, University College freshman who plans to major pre-med, said discussing ethics is important because it gives people a chance to see all sides before forming an opinion.
"There are a lot of different views in medicine," Tate said. "I think the public is too quick to blame somebody else.
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