Health Care in the Heartland
Americans in smaller towns want health care reform, but are wary of changes.
LYNCHBURG, Va., June 24, 2009— -- As President Barack Obama gets set to launch his health care reform initiative, the people in this central Virginia town have their doubts he'll be able to deliver what he promises.
"He might try, but I don't think he'll be successful," Debora Peters said. "Nobody else has been."
"The economy's so bad, it'll take a long while to fix it -- if we fix it," Bertie Cunningham said.
"But at least he's getting started," countered Betsy Flowers. "I don't know if he'll get everything he wants, but at least it's a start."
This town of 72,000 has battle scars. It is home to Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. The local Civil War monument honors "our Confederate soldiers."
Obama campaigned here last August, holding a town hall meeting at a local high school. Obama did unexpectedly well here, but he ended up losing this part of Virginia to John McCain.
As the health care reform debate begins, expectations are low. But the need is clear. At the local Free Clinic, the waiting room is full. The caseload has doubled during the recession, as more and more lose their jobs and their insurance.
"We used to get 50 new clients a month, but at the start of this year we started getting 100," said Bob Barlow, the clinic's administrator.
Patients who qualify for the program, based on need, pay only a $2 co-pay. Local doctors offer their services for free.
According to Barlow the clinic, which has an annual operating budget of $600,000, was able to give more than $6 million in medical services last year. This year, the tab is expected to be even higher.
Kimberly Gambolati, a stay-at-home mom, is typical of the newly uninsured. Since her husband got laid off a few months ago, the family of three has no safety net to fall back on.
Gambolati's mother had been helping them until she was diagnosed with cancer. Now the mother is going to need to save her money for her own treatments.
"My biggest fear is my [5-year-old] daughter," Gambolati said. "It's a worry every day, every night before I go to sleep."
Gambolati's doctor recently prescribed anti-anxiety medication to keep her stress level down. He gives her free samples because she can't afford the pills.
The people we met in Lynchburg were mostly content to leave the details of reform to the experts.
Many like their doctors, but they don't think their insurance plan offers an adequate safety net.
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