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Viewpoints Your Opinion 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 Houston Times-Journal P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll Street • Perry, Ga. 31069 Phone: (912) 987-1823 Member Georgia Press Association-fJational Newspaper Association 4 hoj£L or. or* |u* M4WAXA QA. lA* dj VUM, 04 Your right to 'oafl th»* ->ews-tape' ;t proioctad t>y :h« First Am#r,srnerr; of the Urvted Stale* Constitution. Our Goal The Houston Times-Journal is published proudly for the citizens of Houston and adjoining counties by Houston Publications Inc., Perry Ga. Our goal is to produce quality, profitable, community-oriented newspapers that you, our readers, are proud of. We will reach that goal through hard work, teamwork, loyalty, and a strong dedication towards printing the truth. Bob Tribble Daniel F. Evans Julie B. Evans Mitch Tribble President Vice-President Treasurer Secretary Our Staff Brigette Loudermilk Editor and General Manager Eddie Byrd Advertising Director Newt: Jimmy Simpson. Pauline Lewis Sports: Veto Roley Advertising Jimmy Simpson Composition: Stacey Shy Classified Advertising: Melanie Bullington Bookkeeping: Judy Morrow Circulation: Donnie Forehand Our Policies •Signed Letters to the editor welcomed. Please limit to 300 words and include address and phone number. •Liability for an error will not exceed the cost of space occupied by the error. •We cannot be responsible for return of pictures or material unless stamped return addressed envelope is included. The Houston Times-Journal (USPS 000471) is published semi-weekly for SIB.OO per year by Houston Publications, Inc., 807 Carroll Street, Perry, Ga. 31069. Second Class Postage paid at Perry, Ga.,POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Houston Times-Journal, P.O. Drawer M.PerryGa. 31069. ISSN:IO7S-1874 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 I dIGNS OF THE Tl/AE 'W'M , jj I \[f Wh pZ2232ZtI VOl» | i\ CAS T GET _gßiD&£"ouT mtsrm jjgr I ■ ■■■ 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 Voice Your Opinion ... Write a Letter to the Editor! All opinions published are not necessarily those of this newspaper, therefore all letters must be signed. 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.