news-record.com

North Carolina's two U.S. senators should get together for a public forum on health care reform.

Town hall meetings have become lightning rods for demonstrators angry over proposals to change the way medical care is delivered in this country. Many members of Congress, spending the August recess in their home states or districts, are shunning big events that create opportunities for confrontation rather than informed discussion.

Neither Sen. Kay Hagan nor Sen. Richard Burr has scheduled a forum for the public to ask questions or make statements about this very important subject. But they owe it to their constituents to do so.

The best way would be together. Burr is a Republican, Hagan a Democrat. Both are reasonable people. They've teamed up on issues of importance to North Carolina. Although they don't agree about health care reform, they could defuse much of the partisan rancor by co-hosting a meeting and making sure the discussion didn't veer to one side of the political divide or the other. Voters who distrust Democrats and those who distrust Republicans might approach a Burr-Hagan forum with the attitude that they're likely to hear a balanced presentation.

The senators could introduce the session by describing their common belief that health care reform is badly needed. They only differ on what form it should take. From there, a constructive exchange of ideas is possible.

They also could address some of the wild misinformation spreading about various proposals -- for example, the notion that end-of-life decisions will be forced on anyone, or that private medical coverage will be eliminated. If skeptics hear reassurances from both senators, it may ease their fears.

People have many other questions and deserve an opportunity to hear their senators answer some of them. Because a forum of this kind would attract so many people -- maybe it should be held at the Greensboro Coliseum -- strict rules for an orderly program would be needed. No disruptions could be tolerated. No shouting, no jeering. Rules also might include a requirement for the public to submit questions in advance. Each senator could select a equal number, making sure that a broad range of questions was covered and that fairness prevailed. The deck should not be stacked to favor one point of view over others. But time also should be allowed for as many audience members as possible to briefly state their own opinions.

This would not be a debate between the senators but an opportunity for both to lay out their own positions.

More critically, it would allow them to get a sense of constituents' concerns and to help clear up confusion.

North Carolinians need to know that their senators care about this issue and are willing to discuss it in a public forum. This one could attract national attention and serve as a model of bipartisan cooperation. We urge Sens. Hagan and Burr to hold such an event soon. They'll benefit, and so will their constituents.