Two health care analysts debated for more than an hour Wednesday night, dissecting problems within the national health care system and possible solutions.
Both Craig Savage, a health policy speaker for consulting firm LarsonAllen, and Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies for the CATO Institute, noted that elements within the health care system - such as regulating spending - need to be addressed to provide health care for more U.S. citizens.
The debaters agreed that too much money is wasted in the health care system. Major dilemmas include rapidly growing costs and the high number of uninsured people in the United States, said Savage, a UNC alumnus.
"We have to face economic realities," Savage said. "We have to face the uninsured dilemma that 15 percent of the United States population is uninsured."
Cannon stressed the importance of trying to rework the health care system.
He added that the nation has the highest standard of care in the world, but spending should be regulated as costs continue to rise.
"People around the world come to the U.S. for treatment, so obviously, we are doing something right," he said. "We just need to be careful not to fix what's already working."
Cannon said there is a growing consensus in the country that in order to help the industry, there needs to be less focus on federal government policies and more focus on patients' concerns.
In response to Cannon's suggestions, Savage said that before addressing health care issues, the industry must recognize that coverage policies and tax policies do not mix.
