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Doctor discusses healthcare
Dear Editor,
One of the first principles taught young physicians is the old medical
dictum of “first, do no harm”. It has been wise counsel through the ages
and it is good advice for us today, as we consider solutions to our current
health care problems.
The Clinton plan and those that are similar, involving massive
intrusion into the health care system will do precisely that; and, indeed
may be a prescription for disaster by a government obviously unable to
control its spending.
If these plans are as pernicious as I say, what should we do about the
real problems of health care?
First of all, we should have realistic expectations. In the early part of
this century, one could buy a Model T Ford for approximately SSOO, but
few of us today would be willing to exchange out technologically
improved automobiles for those of yesteryear. So is it with medical care.
We have a wonderful array of medical miracles for our benefit, but miracles
are not cheap.
Certainly it will never be “free”. As PJ. O’Rourke has so aptly stated,
“if you think health care is expensive now, wait until it is free”.
The one thing we clearly should not do is to rush into ill-advised
“plans” to satisfy the delusions of grandeur of politicians. Health care
inflation now is down to six percent, still to high, but no longer in double
digits. More people are also covered now that employment is up.
The genesis of the health care problem lies in the destruction of the
pricing mechanism by third party payers, including massive intrusion of
the Federal Government with Medicare and Medicaid. As the direct cost of
medical service became obscure, every one, including physicians, hospitals,
health care workers, and patients began to abuse the system. By abuse, I
do not mean criminal abuse. Quite naturally, every wished to obtain
maximum personal benefits from the system. Be that as it may, what
specifically can we do now?
•In the near term, we should allow 100 percent deduction of health care
premiums, giving the ordinary person the same tax advantages as
companies have.
•Rapidly phase in (a tax deductible) basic insurance policy with a high
deductible. This would protect against the financial disaster of a major
illness.
•Allow full tax deduction for the difference in cost (of premiums)
between an ordinary policy and a high deductible one, in a medical savings
account.
•Allow the medical savings account to be accumulated tax free (this
would obviously be limited to medical expenses only) but allow the
medical savings account to be converted to personal use, such as an IRA,
etc., after an extended period of time.
•Allow individuals currently enrolled in group plans to continue at their
own expense for a longer period of time when they leave their
employment. •
There are two reasons why we have employer based insurance. One is
the preferential lax treatment of paying for premiums with before tax
dollars, and the access into large insurance risk pools. Both of these can
be dealt with. Ideally, insurance should be employee based rather than
employer based.
In summary, we must re-establish true market mechanisms into the
health care system. By giving individuals a personal economic interest in
restraining medical costs, companies such as Forbes, etc., have not only
seen costs constrained, but have noted a reduction in health care cost with
no loss of quality.
A similar mechanism could be introduced through the use of vouchers
or tax credits to those who are medically indigent. These medical savings
accounts could be accumulated and retained by the individual receiving
these services and would establish an incentive for giving up public
assistance.
Another solution for the indigent care would simply be for the Federal
Government to give block grants, unrestricted, to each state. Each state
could then devise its own system in a much more flexible and cost
effective manner. This could vary from the previously noted voucher
system, contracts between private HMO’s, etc., or even the establishment
of statewide clinics affiliated with the health care universities in the state,
thereby providing not only medical care, but education and research
opportunities.
Please see LETTER, page 8A
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Thoughts on welfare, the tax cap, O.J. and more
MOST PEOPLE who heard
candidate Bill Clinton say he would
change welfare “as we know it”
when elected president applauded.
Now his plan soon will become
law and we learn it has a 59.8
billion price tag...above the amount
already being spent on welfare. I
have a feeling we expected changing
welfare “as we know it” to result in
the program costing less
money...not billions more.
Unfortunately, what he is
proposing won’t work anyway.
* • *
HOUSTON County’s tax cap is
being targeted by some to be
eliminated. Most taxpayers in the
county believe it is great. Most
politicians seem to disagree and
want to do away with it. It results
in some restraints on public
spending. And we all know that
when the tax cap was adopted there
was a tendency to permit spending
to exceed needs. One thing to
remember: Any politician who
goes to Atlanta and gets the tax cap
removed can look forward to
political lynching at the next
election.
| —the peanut gallery
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YoO
Heartsaver courses teach CPR to kids
Why learn CPR? Don’t we all
have enough to do without taking
another class? CPR iS one of the
few classes that can teach you to
save another human being using
nothing but yourself. Marty Darden
is a good friend of my husband's.
He was coaching in Lilbum
Georgia at a basketball camp.
The boys and coaches had gone to
lunch when some of the boys
returned early and were playing in
the gym. One of those boys
collapsed on the floor. No one in
the gym knew C.P.R. Marty
returned several minutes later and
performed C.P.R. but the boy could
not be revived. The people who
were around when he collapsed
stated it was the worst helpless feel
ing to know the boy needed help
and not know what to do.
The whole school and staff later
took a CPR course. Locally just
this past winter CPR was
successfully performed at a West
field basketball game. I have a
nurse friend who successfully
performed CPR in the checkout line
of a Jr. Food Store.
No one knows when and where
these life saving skills may be
needed. The majority of cardiac ar
rests do not occur in a hospital but
out in a community. The sooner
CPR is started the greater the
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Houston Times-Journo!
Page 4A
* * *
OPINION: I just can’t feel
comfortable with any candidate who
gets the endorsement of The Atlanta
Constitution.
* * m
IT SEEMS the whole country has
been mesmerized by the saga of
OJ. Simpson, who is accused to
killing his ex-wife and friend.
There has been a frenzy unequaled
in my memory. The case is being
tried in the press and on radio and
television. Should it be this way?
I like the English way of handling
criminal cases. Once someone is
indicted for a crime there is a
blackout on evidence until the trial
is held. In other words, the accused
is tried in the courts...not in the
press and by public opinion. It just
seems fairer...in this country, what
sets out as justice often becomes a
circus with potential witnesses
being paid obscene sums of money
to appear on “tell all” television
shows.
* * *
ON THE BALL: They tell me
that the county’s public works
director Tommy Stalnaker did a
**' flip jl
Recent graduates of the Heartsaver CPR course for kids.
chance for survival of the victim. .
C.P.R. iS cardio-pulmonary
resuscitation cardiac meaning heart,
pulmonary-lungs and resuscitation
revival. Any situation which stops
the heart requires C.P.R.
Some of the most common
incidents include heart attack,
drowning, electrocution and
accidents. When the heart stops
there is about 6-10 minutes before
Wednesday, July 20,1994 "Houston Ttmas-Journa!
great job last week tying up
contractors to repair damages done
by the flood...He acted promptly,
made commitments on the spot and
got repair work started
immediately... Too often there is
criticism in circumstances such as
these and I believe credit for a good
job should be recognized, too.
* * *
SPEAKING of credit, there are
too many heroes and heroines to
name. They know who they are.
The people they helped know who
they are. And it is a pleasure to
give them an editorial pat on the
back, even though I don’t know
who they are.
* * *
AN ELECTED body—board of
education, city council, county
commissioners-take action some
people don’t like. They raise a
ruckus. They w'am to know why
we don’t have a referendum on the
matter. Seems to me the reason we
elected these people is to act in our
behalf. If we don’t like the things
they do we get a chance at them in
the next election... Making every
decision by popular demand would
any brain damage occuis. it is
before this time, hopefully, that
CPR is begun.
Communities teaching CPR have
a greater survival rate of cardiac
arrest victims. Heart attacks
continue to be the number one
killer in Georgia. More than 70
million people in the United States
have cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease causes about
paralyze government and result in
lousy government, too.
* * *
PERRY hasn’t had the problem,
but some places where the flood
caused more devastation there has
been looting. National Guard and
local law enforcement officers have
had to stand by to guard homes and
businesses vacated by flood
victims... What to do?...Shoot
looters on the spot. Once one is
shot there will be no more. It
worked when I was young. It
would work today...even in our
permissive society where liberals
want to make excuses for looters
because of their “rage” or
upbringing. No excuses. Loot and
pay the price. Period.
Beth L
> Jones, rncl
1 million deaths each year. That's
nearly half of the deaths that occur
each year. It is important to know
C.P.R. because you never know
when it may be your relative, your
neighbor who needs CPR.
Heartsaver is a CPR course for
kids. It teaches ways to prevent
heart attacks, the basics of C.P.R.
and how the heart works. Vicki
Alderman, R.N. instructed this
course with the assistance of volun
teens Melissa Killoran and Beverly
Wright.
Completing this course was: Eric
Langston, Jonathan Lewis, Ross
Lewis, Jennie Baggett, Amanda
Jamieson, Heather Bellamy, Lora
Stuckey, Corey Bennett, Suzanne
Rowe, and Sarah Alderman.
Heartsaver course for kids will be
presented again on August 11,
1994. CPR course for adults will
be presented July 23, 1994. Call
987-3600 ext. 405 for registration.