Stephen F. Austin State University

An SFA undergraduate student recently completed a trip to Washington, D.C., where she discussed different health care and policy development issues with various members of Congress and political figures.

Gina Worley, SFA pre-med senior who plans to attend medical school, said the purpose of her trip was to meet with policy makers to gain insight about health care issues that could affect all present and future doctors and physicians.

"The agenda for my trip to Capitol Hill was to gain our political leaders prospective on the nation's current state of health care and to discuss current and future health care policies," Worley said. "I think that health care policy is important for students to be actively involved in, and not just to be aware of, because it shapes the environment in which they'll practice."

Worley, who is a member of Team McCain, a group of volunteers who are committed to helping Sen. John McCain get elected as president, said she campaigned in various states while en route to D.C. to promote McCain's presidential campaign.

"The contrast between the two party nominees are fundamentally different on values, both socially and fiscally," Worley said. "Not to mention, they have strikingly different views on the policies of health care in this country and where we need to take it in the future.

"This election is critical for the direction of future health care policies for the next several decades. The idea of great health care for every citizen at no cost is a grand idea, but we live in a real world, with real challenges, and a one-size fits all socialized plan is not the answer. I met with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who show a genuine concern for the future of health care in this nation, but I feel that an extreme plan of socialized medicine is not the kind of coverage we need."

Political figures Worley met with included U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, U.S. Rep. Donna Christensen and former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, she said.

"The meetings were very informal," Worley said. "We just sat there and discussed health care. Obviously they think it's important and students should get involved."

Worley said she choose to meet with those who are shaping public policies, because they are the most insightful about it.

"You can't talk to somebody about policy if they're not shaping it," she said. "If you want to get actively involved in it, you have to go to the ones who actually create policy." Worley's family joined her on the trip, and she said making preparations took about a month.

"We sent faxes, and then we called and discussed scheduling ... and they agreed to do it," she said. "We wanted to know their perspective on health care. What it is now, where it's going in the future."

Worley said she spoke with Christensen about the estimated 47 million Americans who are currently without health insurance.

"(Christensen's view was that) there's language barriers ... a lot of people can't drive the distance to see good doctors," she said.

Ways that students could possibly get involved in shaping health care policy were also discussed, she said.

"Students (who) are planning to attend medical school should become involved, because health care policy drives the environment in which they practice," she said. "Many members of Congress rely (on) feedback from physicians in order to shape and amend health care legislation."

Worley said she encourages all who are interested to provide health care policy feedback to elected leaders.

"I have future meetings with state officials about health care policy," she said. "(I) plan on sharing (the) information with classmates. I want them to get involved, too. Students think 'well I have to study, I have to do all the science stuff and go to med school,' and they are never aware of the health care policy. It's crucial."

Worley said she plans to continue to be involved with health care policies while attending medical school.

"Without controversy, health care should be a non-partisan issue," she said. "It affects everyone."