The people of Montana are trying hard to make their voices heard on health care. Eighty people showed up Monday evening at MSUB Downtown and that was only Billings! Eight other Montana cities attended the statewide teleconference: Bozeman, Havre, Helena, Libby, Miles City, Missoula, Great Falls and Kalispell. Two more, Glasgow and Wolf Point, were online to listen.

Personal stories were told, struggles with outrageously high costs of insurance and care. One small business owner said he "wants to provide insurance for employees but there was no way." He earnestly concluded that he "believes business should pay part, the employee pay part and the government pay part."

Yes, it would take everybody paying as much as possible to continue the way we are going; it would take all the money everybody could scrape up.

Can we just tweak the current system a bit and call it good?

We broke into small group discussions, beginning to think about the demographics of our nation, growing old; our health care dollar being spent on old people. If we really want a healthier future, it has to begin with our children.

Prevention is the key to the future. It could well be the key to affordability. In Montana's vast distances, the key is also government participation, the public option. Combining our needs and our problems, the group discussed government-funded school-based clinics as part of the solution.

So many of our societal problems are related to health care. Serious problems, such as lack of primary care, vast distances, homelessness and mental illnesses, malnutrition, addictions, demonstrate our desperate need for quality health care for all.

It is the next generation, and the ones after that, that we must consider. Our goal should be a healthier, better-cared-for Montana population .

Joan Hurdle

210 Nall

Billings