By: Farheen Qurashi, AMSA Jack Rutledge Legislative Director

Eyes are on the nation's capitol, as Americans were able yesterday to see, in its entirety, a Congressman to Congressman, Democrat to Republican, President to Legislator discussion on the future of health care reform. The President's Bipartisan Summit on Health Care Reform at the Blair House in Washington, D.C. was the most exclusive party in the city.

This was a highly-anticipated all-public bipartisan meeting, as opposed to much of the process we've seen thus far. Also significant is the fact that this is the President's meeting at all. President Obama has taken a "hands-off" approach throughout this process of reform, likely as a lesson from the last generation attempt at health care reform in the Clinton Administration. Now, however, amid long calls for a more active Presidential presence, a repeated failing to meet deadlines, and ever-growing amounts of obstacles--from public opinion to vote numbers—President Obama has finally taken a very large step in not only participating, but leading the way forward with his health care bill.

Unfortunately, hopes were not high going in for a substantive discussion of the issues--and appropriately so, it seems. The discussion devolved quickly. Though it remained just short of snide partisan remarks, the rhetoric of the past year remained, the ideas and positions seemed to hardly move, and the tension was palpable.

Though there were glimmers of bipartisanship -- Obama admitting there is promise in the idea of selling insurance across state lines, a real discussion of high-risk pools and mandates. A movement forward from the President's recent proposal was in his mention of national exchanges (his proposal assumes state-based, which arguably provide for less access). At times, there was even the frank admittance of idealogies being simply, to a point, incompatible.

But at the end of the day, when the real issue was brought forward--coverage--the injustices against the uninsured became apparent. Senator Barrasso of Wyoming daringly posed that "those [people] with catastrophic insurance are the best consumers...", arguing that the first question when considering a medical test should be about cost. "Would you want everyone in Congress to have catastrophic coverage?" asked Mr. Obama. "Yes..." says Senator Barrasso. "Now how about if you made $40,000 a year?" continued Mr. Obama. Silence.

When our leaders in Washington dare to charge that our first questions when we are sick should be about cost, it's annoying at best. When that leader is in fact a physician himself, it is a sad reflection not only on our leadership, but our medical system. As a future physician, I will never wish upon my patients the concern of finances before their health, or that of their loved ones. I do not want to be asked about the cost of a test that I recommend as medically necessary.

I am in medical school to be a healer, not a salesman.
Health care is a right, not a privilege.

But that was clearly not the adopted basis for yesterday’s summit, at least not for everyone at that select table. And it is clear that none the bills presented – by the House, the Senate, the President and the Republican plan—stay true to that statement enough to provide for truly universal coverage. And whether we are able to accomplish even these first steps forward, in the form of a health care bill this year, is yet to be seen.

Was the summit a success? Depends on where you sit.
Will healthcare be a success? We’ll just have to wait and see.