Oregon Public Broadcasting

Overhauling the nation's health care system has been the subject of debate at congressional town hall meetings across the country, sometimes with a great deal of passion and even heckling.

There was some of that at a meeting held Monday night by Oregon Democrat David Wu. But as Salem Correspondent Chris Lehman reports, much of the discussion was civil.

People stood in line for hours to get into Congressman Wu's town hall meeting in McMinnville.

People stood in line for hours to get into Congressman Wu's town hall meeting in McMinnville.

Most never made it inside the packed room, and those who did represented widely different opinions.

Emotions ran high at times.

But most of the hour-long Q & A session was polite, like this question from Allen Halifax about the proposed federal health care plan.

Allen Halifax: “How's that going to impact me as a vet? Am I going to have to make a decision taking vet insurance or getting the other kinds of insurance or can I have both?”

Wu told the man his best bet would likely be to stay with his current veterans' coverage.

The Democratic Congressman said he supports health care reform. Many at the meeting expressed opposition.

Others called for a single-payer approach like the one in Canada and some European nations.