BY BETH VELLIQUETTE

bvelliquette@heraldsun.com; 918-1042

CHAPEL HILL -- Congressman David Price will hold a health care forum tonight at UNC.

The event, sponsored by the UNC Young Democrats, is set for 7 p.m. in Wilson Library.

"Join Congressman David Price (NC-4) for a discussion of the health insurance reform legislation currently in Congress, why it's important, and how it impacts us as students at UNC-Chapel Hill," an invitation on Facebook states.

The event is open to the public, said Aisha Amunda, director of the service committee of the UNC Young Democrats.

The event, however, was not listed on Price's Web page or schedule, nor did his office send out a news release about the forum.

Price was also scheduled to speak at Duke University Tuesday night, and that event also was not listed on Price's Web page of speaking engagements.

Paul Cox, a spokesman for Price's office, said it is not unusual for Price's office to defer publicity about an event to the hosting organization, and the Young Democrats decided they wanted to publicize the event on their own, he said.

The event wasn't widely publicized, Amunda said, because the room in Wilson Library only holds 150 people, and the forum was designed primarily for the convenience of UNC students, who may not have the transportation or means to travel to Raleigh or Durham to attend other health care forums, Amunda said.

Price will speak for 10 to 15 minutes, and there will be a question-and-answer period of about 45 minutes, she said.

Bill Knight, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, said he plans to attend. He doesn't agree with people who yell or scream at meetings, but he does have questions about certain aspects of the health care plan that he would like answered, he said.

"I'm just going to see what I can learn," he said.

Price has held open events for people to learn about the health care issue, Cox said. He held an open event at N.C. Central University, held a telephone town hall meeting and is scheduled to hold another telephone town hall meeting Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., Cox said.

To participate in the telephone town hall meeting, go to Price's Web site at:

http://price.house.gov/.

People must sign up in advance to participate in the telephone conference call. By entering their information on the Congressman's website, participants will be called and conferenced into the meeting just before it begins.