PARKERSBURG - Professor L. Christopher Plein spoke Tuesday about the many elements of health care reform during the Wood County Democratic Executive Committee meeting.

Plein, who studies public policy of West Virginia, serves as the assistant dean of West Virginia University's Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. His goal Tuesday was to shed light on the complex issues of health care reform and break it down into manageable parts, he said.

"Tonight is not a discussion about what is right or wrong, and it's not a discussion about Democrats or Republicans," said Plein. "It's about trying to make sense of health care reform. Our plates have been full the past year with things like the economy, international events and health care. Health care specifically reaches into many different areas of concern."

Plein said one of the most talked about elements of health care is the public option, but it is not the whole story.

"The role of the public option is to increase competition among other insurers and drive prices down, making health insurance more affordable," he said. "It is meant to be an option for folks who cannot access health insurance through their employer."

While the public option is an issue of much debate, the health care reform bill is made up of several other parts. Many elements are changes or expansions of older programs already in existence, such as Medicare and Medicaid.

"There are about 46 million uninsured Americans. Medicaid reform could be a substantial step that could reach a lot of people. The focus would be to give more people access to Medicaid and prescription drug coverage," Plein said.

Reform would try to eliminate the denial of insurance to individuals because of pre-existing conditions, he said. Programs designed to benefit these individuals exist in 35 states.

AccessWV, the most recent of these programs, became available in 2005 for West Virginians with pre-existing conditions. Plein serves on the AccessWV Board of Directors.

"It's an important program," Plein said. "Many people can't get insurance because of existing health conditions, or they can't afford it because the premiums are outrageous."

Another important element of health care reform that is not often discussed is its emphasis on preventative care and wellness, Plein said. Encouraging people to stay healthy and creating programs that promote health is the ultimate goal, he said.

Toward the end of Plein's speech, he addressed the major concern of health care reform - cost. The estimated cost of the reform bill could be near $850 billion.

"It's a lot of money, and we live in a country that has very high debt. There's no doubt that this bill will cost a lot," he said. "But it's less about how much it will cost, and more about how the resources in the health care system will get redistributed."

Plein said a reformed health care system could have a great potential for savings.