UNC professors provide expertise to lawmakers

A year or two ago, UNC professors and doctors had a tough time just getting their students to pay attention to them.

Now, the president is calling.

Campus experts on health care policy and reform have become a go-to source for lawmakers and media outlets looking to better understand what has become the most dominant issue in politics.

And they’ve got their work cut out for them.

“People don’t really understand health reform,” said Dr. Dean Harris, clinical associate professor of health policy and management. “Health reform is something that’s been going on for 50 years. It’s no news to us.

“Faculty are actively involved in commissions, committees and regulatory agencies at the state and national levels, and faculty are often directly involved in decision-making.”

Health care reform has been at the forefront of the national consciousness, with a major health insurance reform bill passing the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday evening. The U.S. Senate is now discussing its own version under immense pressure from the White House.

Both bills would dramatically increase the number of people with access to health insurance. The House’s version of the bill includes a government-supported health care program, which has been contentious for its cost and the competition it poses to private insurance companies.

UNC’s involvement has been wide-reaching and predominantly pro-reform.

“It’s pretty clear that doctors in general support health care reform,” said Dr. Stephen Gamboa, a clinical instructor in the Department of Family Medicine. He was invited to represent North Carolina during a health care discussion with President Barack Obama in October.

Other UNC contributions to the debate have included the N.C. Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center’s development of background data for presidential speeches and opinion pieces by doctoral student Brad Wright on The Huffington Post, a news site. Many said they maintain the mindset of an educator when consulted.

“I think of it as an extended classroom,” said Dr. Jonathan Oberlander, an associate professor of health policy and management. Oberlander has been delivering talks on health care policy across the nation, and his opinions are considered by top policy makers.

“We’re fortunate to have very deep resources in health care policy here,” he added.

Professors and doctors said UNC’s role as a leading public institution helped reinforce their obligation to keep the public informed.

“It is my experience that professors at UNC-Chapel Hill in health policy tend to be more engaged and willing to participate in public affairs than those at many, but not all, other institutions,” said Dr. Tom Ricketts, associate director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.

Gamboa said he feels that responsibility to be involved.

“Our institution has a special mandate to serve the people,” he said. “I think right now the system is not serving the people very well.”

Oberlander said his talks spend a lot of time clarifying facts about plans and current practices. While he finds the current bills’ focus on insurance a good priority, he recognizes it won’t be the end of changes.

“Whatever we do in 2009 is not going to be the end of reform,” Oberlander said. “We have problems in different parts of the health care system.”

That leaves UNC experts with a job that will continue for at least another 50 years: educating people on the problems surrounding health care and help devise solutions.

“People expect a painless solution,” Harris said. “In fact, we’re going to have to make some hard choices. A lot of times, politicians are reticent to talk about that.”



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.