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GREENSBORO — Debate turned heated Thursday night at a meeting of Organizing for America, the Democratic National Committee’s grass-roots project, as participants shifted the discussion to health care reform.

David Moore, a health insurance provider from Burlington, said he came to hear about President Obama’s plans for reform and to share his belief that overhauling a system that is working doesn’t make sense.

“To me, you’re changing the system for 10 percent of the people when 90 percent are pleased,” he said.

But others spoke passionately about the need for change.

“For all the people who want to scare me over the big government bureaucracy, I’m sorry, the big health insurance bureaucracy is scarier,” Wayne Abraham of Greensboro said in front of the nearly 40 people in attendance.

Participants passed a microphone around the room, among supporters of the president’s plan and those who object to it, health care providers and former Obama campaign volunteers.

The meeting, one in a nationwide series of listening tours, was held to engage communities that were active during the presidential election, said Greg Jackson Jr., state field director for Organizing for America. The group also aims to gain support for Obama’s policies.

Jackson said debate at these events often turns to the current hot-button issue, but the larger goal is to offer communities a way to productively voice those opinions.

“I just wanted to strategize and turn their opinion into action,” Jackson said.

After 30 minutes of discussion about health care, the participants broke into smaller groups, focusing on Greensboro-specific solutions to policy issues and fading activism.

Participants stressed the importance of organizing more communitywide meetings and capitalizing on the resources the city has, such as vibrant college and church communities. 

Many also debated how to repair the bond between national and local politics. They said activism in presidential and senatorial campaigns rarely carries over to state and local elections.

Jim Gallar, standing up to speak during the health care debate, called himself a “humble accountant,” not a health insurance provider or small-business owner. During the presidential election, Gallar volunteered for the Obama campaign, working in a phone bank.

He said people need to renew the enthusiasm they had during that election, applying it to today’s political challenges. On Thursday night, that meant health care reform.

“That passion we had last year, if you don’t have it, we need to find it,” Gallar said.

Contact Tricia L. Nadolny at 373-7028 or tricia.nadolny@news-record.com