That much anticipated vote has hundreds of people hitting the street, voicing their opinion.

   Around 500 people, including more than 50 valley physicians, were protesting against government run healthcare.

  Both Paul and Neeta Dang are doctors at Huntsville Hospital.

  Before moving here in 1996 they practiced in Canada for 9 years, where there is universal health care coverage.

   It's a system they say is flawed.

"The problem is that the access to health care was limited and the system was overburdened and under funded.  People couldn't get access to scans and treatments. Getting in to see the doctor was hard. Getting surgeries like getting bypass surgery or your hip replacement would take several months. To pay for such a system our taxes were much higher than they are here in the US," said Dr. Paul Dang.

  Dr. Dang says that this will probably be the case here in the US if the government option passes.

"The changes that are being proposed are going to significantly limit access to care and to the type and quality of care that's already available for most Americans," said Dr. Dang.

    While living in Canada their family had to get care in the u-s to be able to survive.

   "My own family member had to be flown down here for cancer treatment because it wasn't going to happen in Canada where we have a government run system.  We've had first hand experience with this, where patients have died of disease that may have been successfully treated if they had been diagnosed earlier," said Dr. Neeta Dang.

While the protest against government run health care went on by the Medical mall, across Governors Drive another smaller protest was going on in support of the public option.

 

"I would like to see our health care bill passed that would give the public option that would give everyone health care to take care of the sick and the poor and the least of those among us, those are the words of Jesus," said Huntsville resident, Esther Davis.

 

  The doctors agree that insurance costs need to decrease and that more people should be covered.

  They suggest insurance competition between states and tort reform.

  The Dang's just don't want the government to run the system for fear that it will end up like Canada's.

"Yes there is universal health care in Canada but it is rationed. You have to wait in line and if you die while waiting well that's just the way it is," said Dr. Neeta Dang.

The Senate is expected to vote on the health care reform bill Saturday night.

 

Reporter:  Stephanie Beecken