Health Care Forum Today

This event is free and open to the public - sorry for the late notice.

Washington, DC - On Friday 27 March at 11 AM, Congresswoman Rosa L.
DeLauro (CT-3) will hold a roundtable discussion on health care reform
with constituents who have contacted her about health care coverage,
health care providers, business leaders and health policy experts who
are pressing for meaningful reform, at the Community Health Center (635
Main Street) in Middletown. This week is the 7th anniversary of Cover
the Uninsured Week, which was launched to foster conversation about
reforming our health care system and making affordable health insurance
available to the 46 million currently uninsured Americans.



Roundtable participants include:


Mary Beth Johnson, Middlefield - Mary Beth lost her job at Aetna in
January and is coping with losing her health insurance.  She is
currently covered by COBRA with Aetna subsidizing coverage for April &
May. However, beginning in June, the cost will be slightly over $900.00
per month for herself and her domestic partner - the cost alone is
nearly double what she receives in unemployment benefits.


Mark Masselli, President/CEO, Community Health Center - The Community
Health Center, Inc. (CHC) is a private nonprofit agency providing
affordable, high-quality primary health care, dental, mental health, and
social services to thousands of area residents from over 100 Connecticut
communities each year. CHC is one of the leading health care providers
in the state of Connecticut, offering services to the insured,
underinsured and uninsured for over 34 years.  CHC has twelve locations
throughout Connecticut.



Dr. Kristen Zarfos, St. Francis Hospital - Dr. Zarfos is a fellow in the
American College of Surgeons.  She is a general surgeon with a focus in
beast cancer care and is an assistant professor of surgery at the
University of Connecticut School of Medicine, as well as Director of the
St. Francis Comprehensive Breast Health Center in Hartford,
Connecticut. Dr. Zarfos has seen the human suffering caused when people
are uninsured or underinsured, including one woman who died of breast
cancer because she did not have insurance to cover the necessary health
care.


Larry McHugh, President of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce - As
president of the chamber, Larry works to ensure the chamber is a
resource for businesses in the community and has seen the effect of
skyrocketing health care costs on businesses.

Sharon Langer, M.Ed., J.D., CT Voices for Children - Senior Policy
Fellow at CT Voices. Her work focuses on health policy and financing
issues, particularly those affecting families and children. Ms. Langer
was recently appointed to the newly created HealthFirst Authority which
is charged with making findings and recommendations to the state
legislature concerning expanding coverage and access to health care in
CT. She currently coordinates the Covering Connecticut's Kids and
Families Coalition, a project of CT Voices, which brings together state
officials, community health providers, advocates, and others who seek to
help families enroll in the state's publicly funded health insurance
program, HUSKY.








WHERE:   Community Health Center

        635 Main StreetMiddletown, CT



WHEN:     Friday 27 March 2009

                 11 AM