Medical dean to discuss politics-health care link

10/21/2008

Until health-care reform is taken out of the political process, it's almost sure to fail, the dean of the University of Toledo's college of medicine says.

Dr. Jeffrey Gold will discuss the issue that has become a hot topic in the presidential race during a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. today in the Lucas Room of the Dana Conference Center on UT's health science campus. Dr. Gold, who also is the university's executive vice president and provost for health affairs, will avoid "doctor-ese" and speak in jargon-free terms about changes needed to fix the country's health-care system.

"By providing a clearer sense of what Barack Obama and John McCain are suggesting for their health-care policies, voters can make better decisions as they enter the polling booth," Dr. Gold said in a statement.

"But the most important fact the public should realize is that many of the most fundamental problems aren't being addressed by either candidate."

The discussion is part of UT's Health Care Up Close program and one of a series of events where UT experts discuss health care-related issues.