Some physicians in the audience tried to engage Schekowsky on the issue of medical malpractice lawsuits, which they asserted increased the cost of health care, while forcing physicians to practice 'defensive medicine' and order unnecessary medical procedures on patients as a result.

Schekowsky, however, said she would not enter into an argument on the issue and asserted that studies had shown that malpractice claims did not significantly raise the overall cost of health care.

Illinois State Senator Heather Steans noted that patients on Medicaid (the state run health programme for low income individuals and families) found it difficult to get a physician.

'This is because Medicaid payments for physicians are low and given the budget deficit in Illinois, there is a significant delay in the payments being made,' she said.

Opposing the 'public option' proposed in President Barack Obama's health care plan, an Indian American physician said 'socialized medicine' would not work. 'Look at the health care system in countries like England and Canada,' he said, 'Compared to them, we are doing just fine.'

This comment drew a sharp response from Schekowsky. 'We just heard from a lady on her experience with the US health care system,' she said.

Schekowsky was referring to an Indian American, Sunita Chopra, one of the speakers at the event, who spoke about the hardships of meeting the health care expenses of her disabled parents. Chopra had recently written to Obama detailing her struggles with meeting health care costs.

In response, Obama wrote: 'I share the sense of urgency that Americans like you have voiced. I watched as my ailing mother struggled with stacks of insurance forms in the last moments of her life. This is not who we are as a nation; together we will fix it(the health care system).'

(Ashok Easwaran can be contacted at ashok3185@yahoo.com)