Local and national experts gathered at the University Auditorium on Monday night to discuss the condition of U.S. health care.
Representatives from UF, the American Medical Association and the Harvard College of Medicine attended the event, which was sponsored by Accent, American Medical Student Association, American Constitution Society and the American Medical Association.
Brandon Sack, a biomedical sciences graduate student and organizer of the event, said his main goals with the forum were to spur an informed discussion and allay fears people might have about universal health care.
Paul Duncan, chairman of the UF department of health services research, management and policy, said Florida's health care situation is bad and is in desperate need of a solution.
Florida is ranked fifth in the nation for the most uninsured residents, Duncan said.
This is an issue that needs a solution, he added.
Better health insurance leads to improved access, which in turn leads to better health care and better health, he said.
However, he added that universal health insurance would never succeed in the United States on a voluntary system.
People would have to be required to get insured, he said.
Dr. Ardis Hoven of the American Medical Association presented the association's plan for health care reform, which is based on three "pillars."
The pillars include tax breaks and vouchers to fund health care, diversity of health care options, and making it easier for the uninsured to obtain and choose coverage.
Dr. David Himmelstein of the Harvard College of Medicine and Physicians for a National Health Plan spoke about the failures of the U.S. health care system, such as unnecessary procedures and excessive governmental spending.
Programs to institute universal health care in various states have been unsuccessful, he added.
He said in trying to reform the current health care system, the United States was trying to tow a car that had already died.
It should be looking for a solution, he added.
"Winston Churchill said that one can always count on Americans to do the right thing after they have exhausted every other possibility, and we're working hard on that," he said.
After the presentations, a five-member panel of experts, including the three speakers, answered audience members' questions about health care.
