CAPE ELIZABETH — The high school Advanced Placement government class will host a panel discussion on health care reform Wednesday, Dec. 9.

The event will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium at 345 Ocean House Road.

The community is encouraged to attend the event, and will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists during the discussion and at a reception afterwards.

Andrea Maker, vice president of Martin’s Point Healthcare; Chris Dugan, director of corporate communications for Anthem Blue Cross-Blue Shield, and Professor Andy Coburn, director of the Institute for Health Policy at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School, will be the panelists for the evening.

Teacher Ted Jordan said the three guests were invited to the event because of their direct experience with the health-care system.

“It is important to have people who have experience and can represent the insurance business, the health-care profession and education,” he said. “This discussion will be about the current state of health-care reform as of Dec. 9. The panelists will give their thoughts on what they think it should include, and what they think of the situation as it is that day.”

A student will present an overview of the past six months of health-care reform and the panelists will give their opinions. Members of the audience will receive index cards as they enter the auditorium and will be able to submit questions to the panelists throughout the event.

At 8:30 p.m. the event will move to the cafeteria, where the panelists, students and audience members will be able to discuss the topics more informally over light refreshments.

Jordan said the students are studying how Congress works and how a bill becomes a law.

“The health-care discussion is a timely topic,” he said. “It fits in well with what the class is learning.”

The event will be recorded and broadcast later on the school’s Web site and on Cape Elizabeth’s public access Channel 3.