State seeks Dodge’s input on health care

Dodge City residents concerned about health care reform will have a chance to share their views with other Americans this month.
    The Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, a health-care advocacy group based in Topeka, is inviting people to participate in an online discussion of health reform issues between Nov. 18 and 25. The project is a collaboration between the coalition and Viewpoint Learning, a national organization based in California.
    Funding for the project came from the Michigan-based W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
    The online discussion consists of two steps, according to a news release from the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition. First, participants will complete an interactive choicebook exploring different possibilities for the future of health care, and they will be asked to consider their own ideas about health care.
    Second, participants will decide whether to join an online discussion with other Kansans and a moderator, where they will talk about important health care questions facing the state and the nation.
    "The 100 percent point of this is to engage average Joe, if you will, consumers around issues related to health reform and very strategically talk with them about, 'If you thought that everyone deserved health coverage, what would you be willing to give up?'" said the coalition's executive director, Corrie Edwards.
    The first step will conclude on Nov. 14, and the online discussion will run Nov. 18-25. Participants can log into the discussion 24 hours a day, seven days a week to read and/or post comments.
    Kansans interested in participating in the project can begin by visiting the Web site voicesforhealthcare.dialoguecircles.com/participate.
    The yearlong project began with a series of discussions and an interactive briefing on health care, followed by community conversations. The choicebook and online dialogue are the final steps.
    Edwards said the online discussion will allow participants to share their ideas about health care with other Kansans and people in other states.
    "We've had pretty good luck so far," she said. "But we'd like for a lot more people to log on because I think this is one way that people can not only compare what other Kansans think but can compare nationally what other people think."
    She added that Kansas is one of three states, along with Mississippi and Ohio, to participate in the project.
    The results from the online discussion will be shared with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and Topeka.

Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.