OXFORD – Five panelists brought vastly differing perspectives on America’s health care reform to a discussion on Thursday at the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Panelists included Aaron Sisk, senior attorney with the Mississippi Insurance Department; Gerard Gibert, CEO of Venture Technologies; Richard Roberson, special assistant to the executive director of the Mississippi Division of Medicaid; Gerald Wages, executive vice president for external affairs, North Mississippi Health Services, Inc., and member of the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association; and Dr. Randy Easterling, president of the Mississippi State Medical Association.

Easterling said he is convinced even the most avid reformers will get more than they are bargaining for if major reform is passed in the current Congress.

“There are two things I can guarantee you,” he said. “It’s not going to be as good as what you have now, and it’s going to cost more than you’re paying now.”

Gibert said he was most concerned that cost overruns and cheating would only increase under a system dominated by the federal government.

“If you look up ‘waste,’ ‘fraud’ or ‘abuse’ in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of the U.S. Capitol,” he said. “I love the United States … but I defy you to tell me anything the federal government does where they control costs.” He suggested, though, that some problems could be eased by requiring insurance companies – and even the federal government – to share liability with physicians and hospitals.

Asked by moderator Andy Taggart what the role of the federal government should be in health care, Wages said it should be that of providing “a safety net.”

Sisk said the ability to carry one’s insurance from job to job or even state to state is worth considering, but it offers pitfalls, such as lack of redress should a California company fail to meet a Mississippi customer’s expectations. He also warned that a wholesale move to consumer-paid insurance would create new problems.

“People really don’t understand what they’re buying when they buy health insurance,” he said.

Roberson said a government requirement to have health coverage may not give the anticipated results, either.

“Just adding more people to the rolls of the insured is not going to reduce health care costs for most of us,” he said. “Since the state started mandating that everyone carry auto insurance, the cost of auto insurance doubled.”

More than one panelist lauded President Barack Obama’s call for electronic medical records accessible by any health care provider. Wages said they would help eliminate duplication of effort and improve treatment. Roberson noted they would also prevent “doctor shopping” that enables addicts to get multiple prescriptions for pain medications.

The one consensus among the panelists was that Americans – Mississippians in particular – will have to take more personal responsibility for their health, from avoiding overuse of health care to increasing their fitness levels.

Easterling pulled no punches: “We’ve got to get our butts off the couch more and eat less.”