Published: Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 7:23 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 7:23 a.m.

LAKELAND -- Sticking with the status quo won't solve the woes of the United States health care system, Adil Khan said Friday, but he's not convinced the changes now being implemented will either.

Khan, chief administrative officer of Clark & Daughtrey Medical Group in Lakeland, sees more promise in proposed legislation -- languishing in Congress for years -- that would expand Medicare to cover all ages. It's H.R. 676, the National Health Insurance Act.

"This is not socialized medicine," he told members of the Lakeland South Rotary Club at their noon meeting.

"We're not talking about changing Medicare. It's already there. We're talking about expanding it."

Socialized medicine, he said, would be if the government owned all or most hospitals and medical practices, a change neither the current legislation approved by Congress nor the Medicare expansion would make.

Medicare already is in place, serving almost 10 percent of the population, Khan pointed out, and its 3 percent overhead costs are much lower than those of commercial health insurance plans.

Hospitals and most doctors accept Medicare.

In contrast, Medicaid, which the current health care reform effort would expand, isn't popular among doctors. Most don't accept it, Khan said, explaining that Medicaid "does not cover the cost of providing care."

A shortage of doctors, particularly acute in Polk County, already makes it difficult for people on Medicaid to have much choice when getting medical care.

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Health care administrator touts alternative legislation