CHAPEL HILL - Health care workers and patients from around the Triangle gathered Friday afternoon in front of UNC to support universal health care coverage and a publicly funded insurance system similar to Medicare.

The group called for a health care bill that ensures "access to comprehensive care that is portable and without caps, time limits or arbitrary exclusions for all Americans financed using a single payer model similar to Medicare." In a statement, the group said national health insurance is being marginalized in the national health care debate, even though surveys show two-thirds of Americans and 59 percent of U.S. physicians support it.

"The U.S. spends more money than any other country, yet the quality of care is not up to snuff," said Dr. Charles van der Horst. "With insurance premiums increasing at four times the rate of wages, the current system is simply not sustainable."

Dr. Arthur Axelbank, a family practitioner in private practice, said: "Right now, my staff and I spend at least one third of our time not taking care of patients, but rather taking care of the insurance companies to make sure my patients get the care they need."

Renee Clark suffered two strokes while uninsured and is struggling to pay $24,000 in hospital charges. In the group's statemment, she said, "Everyone deserves decent basic health care regardless of the ability to pay." Larry James, a retired member of the US Armed Forces, described the experiences he has had with the Veterans Administration health care system: "For 16 years I have had the same primary care doctor, and he is wonderful."

The group emphasized that preventive and primary care must be a priority and that none of the current health care reform proposals under consideration in Congress will affect the doctor-patient relationship if passed.