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Show PAGE 14 THE ZEPHYRJUNE 1992 F HEALTHCARE: somewhere left of right by Jane S. Jones , COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE SURVEY June 1, 1992 , , ' Qve your feedback. By completing and returning this survey, you will show your services now available in Grand of medical keen interest in reducing tiie "high prices County 1. Are you satisfied with the price of health care services now available to residents of Grand Yes No County? ' ' ! 3. If it seemed to be a fair and affordable price to you, would you consider joining some kind of group composed of community residents who would pay a monthly fee far prevention and treatment of health care problems? Initially, this group would be organized to provide all members with prevention counseling and routine medical services, those usually provided in a Yes. I'm interested. No. Fm not interested. physician's office. The most I would be able to afford per month for receiving routine medical care as a member of such a group would be: 6. J5 $50 $75 $100 . . . 6. To provide some healthy competition by giving you mac options in choosing my health care, do you want your community to have alternative health care available in the farm of practitioners of nutrition counseling, naturopathy, homeopathy, reflexology, herbal medicine, etc? Yes No 7. you want more information publicized regularly about this topic? Check the ones that apply to you: insurance. 8. I have employer-provide- d 9. I pay far my own medical insurance. 10. 1 have no medical insurance of any kind. Yea EX) . Comments ; ' ; Please return this form to: Health Care Survey, FO Box 1421, Moab No It seems to me that people have a natural right to protect themselves. It's one of those basic An important part of protecting myself is being rights, one that we assume is just part of living. able to practice "doctoring" upon myself. We all have a list of medical ailments we may suffer from that we fad qualified to take care of ourselves. And then, when it gets more serious, we look to those who are trained in medicine, to get the best possible protection, by both preventing problems and by curing those that develop anyway. also be free to protect those I am responsible I Following this same logic, I think should medical advice, and even medication, to the extent of my for, and to give them counseling, and I want to seek help from others, to provide knowledge and expertise. Then, when necessary, will the protection far me. It's such a simple, basic concept It like many other basic needs, has become need to receive medical care has become complicated, altered beyond recognition. The desire, the because most of us are prevented something we must worry about in the middle of the night, from having it since it costs more money than we have. Where have we come to in this advanced society of ours, where I have only two legal sources of medical services in my community? 1) the short list of licensed medical doctors who practice in Moab. 2) the hospital No other choices, no other legri opportunities for medical care. To see one of these medical doctors, I must spend at least $25 far an office call Any tests will probably run the bill over $100. So, until I am really sick, I stay away. When my sickness becomes an emergency, the same doctor costs $50 an hour, and the costs far using the emergency room services may bankrupt me. The prices are in the stratosphere because there is no competition. Those on federal assistance don't have to worry about paying the bills they run up. Those with employer-pai- d iwMiTance also don't have to worry about paying those bills, after it gets over their deductible. are left out in the Everyone rise in between, the ones with small businesses, the the a lot and their doesn't someone don't when bill, And odd. unpaid bill is paid by pay bills increases in everyone rise's NIL This is another reason medical just keep going up. The system of medicine now firmly entenched in America and in Grand County prevents any competition, prevents a system of medical care that ordinary people with ordinary incomes can afford. Well just all have to try and stay welt now won't we Or we could shake the trees and do something creative. d, 2. Many people believe that every person should be able to protect thelrself and their family by having low cost medical care available, which prevents many health problems from developing in the first place, thus lessening the medical services needed later an. Do you want to work as f Yes No a community to achieve the goal of affordable health care? ' SURVEYING THE COMMUNITY There are sane wavs to address the unfairness One way to address the problem is to farm a group of residents who pay a monthly fee, build up a cash balance, and then contract far medical services from one or more individual licensed medical doctors. One such farm is the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). I'm certainly not an expert on HMO's, but I have been studying up on them, and listening to people in the community who think one could woric here. An HMO is a health plan which has been around since the early 1900's. People join an HMO far a specific length of time;, pay a fixed monthly premium, and go only to certain doctors, tiie HMO's "providers" for medical care (or pay for their care themselves). To start with, we'd probably ha veto just consider contracting far primary care services. Primary care means the range of routine medical services that are generally provided in a physician's office. In most cases, it's the care you get from general and family practitioners, internists, obstetrician gynecologists, and pediatricians. For a fixed monthly fan, all members would received covered health care regardless of die number and type of services used. The doctor or doctors used would have five incentive to keep their patients healthy. Preventive health care would be emphasized. If we were determined to do it, we could certainly start an HMO here in Moab, or if neoessaryorm our own special structure similar to an HMO, spelling out the services we wanted at a price most all residents could afford. If no local doctors wanted the job, it could be advertised, and a physidan hired especially for tills group. Another way to help put some downward pressure on current medical costae is to increase the scope of medical practitioners allowed to legally hang out their shingle in town. It would provide choices, increase competition, give residents options in daridtng how best to protect their health. This will require legislation at the statehouse in Salt City. The way these Some are things happen now, practitioners operate "underground." good, some are bad, five chance don't but they to compete in an open marketplace, where people could chose get freely their method of health care. PACK CREEK RANCH Ika |