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Show 'Blue Mountain THE SAN JUAN RECORD Wednesday, August 14, 2002 - Page 8 National health cam problems will soon plague us The San Juan Record welcomes letters from our readers. Letters to the Editor must be: No more than 350 words Signed Include the author's address and phone number The San Juan Record reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity and to eliminate libelous or tasteless material. 'The San Juan "Hficorb AN AWARD WINNING NEWSPAPER Publisher - Editor BILL BOYLE Office Manager TERRY CRAMER - Ad p Design Office Assistant PAT RICHARDSON Proofreader DAWN BOYLE Writers NELL DALTON MAXINE DEETER MARY LOU HOGGARD LEO PLATERO GARY TORRES TERRI WINDER News Writers ANNA THAYN PHIL MUELLER PHONE & FAX 435-587-22- 77 435-587-33- 77 E-M- sjrnewssaniuan.net SUBSCRIPTION RATES San Juan County Outside County USA APO or FPO address Newsstand Sr. Citizen Sr. Out of County SIB S26 $26 50c SI 7.50 $25.50 To have a sample copy sent to a friend, send us his or her address. Write to PO Box 879, Monticello, UT 84535. Copyright, The San Juan Record 0,2002. All rights reserved. Reproduction, reuse or transmittal of all matter herein is prohibited without prior written permission by the publisher. ISSN 0894-327- 3 Published wsskly at 49 South Man, MontmNo.Utah. Periodical postage paid at Monlicetto, Utah B4S35 Postmaster: (ISSN0S94-3273)- 14-1- 7 August Mr. Wed 14 ZlluiU 15 Deeds Stars Adam Sandler fyudatf, AutfU&t 16 16-2- 2 August Spy Kids 2 8pm (PG-1- 3) 7pm Like Mike PG 9pm Minority Report Spirit (Animated) PG-1- Saturday Aafudl 17 (PG-1-3) ., 2 Call for show times 435-678-26- 3 53 & 7pm Like Mike PG 4:15 & 9pm Minority Report "Closed 3undaVllM6nda PG-1- 3 Mon- Autj. 19-2- 0 Like Mike 7pm PG 9pm Minority Report A successful man is one who can lay a firm foun- PG-1- 3 dation with the bricks that others throw at him. Sidney Greenberg W35j5S7TW27i multi-millio- HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY. UTAH SINCE 1915 Paste-u- Dear Editor The troubles that vex Gotham will soon be plaguing us right here in River City. Our health care delivery system is coming apart at the seams. Not only are costs becoming out of reach of most people, now services are rapidly disappearing. One woman in Las Vegas went to 35 physicians and was unable to find one who would deliver her baby! I quote a recent article in the Wall Street Journal July 31, by Philip Howard: American justice has created a crisis in American health care. Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia, for example, closed its maternity ward on July 1, unable to afford an exponential rise in malpractice rates. The last medical trauma center in Las Vegas closed its doors earlier this month, reopening on a temporary basis only with spespecial legislative protection. Doctors are bailing out of high-ris- k will no cialties. One in 10 obstetriciangynecologists say they longer to risen have rates that confronted with deliver babies, malpractice over $200,000 a year in some states. President Bush last week called for federal legislation to limit damages in malpractice cases... To this observer, some form of socialized medicine that pleases neither the patients nor the doctors appears inevitable. The abuses by the lawyers, insurance companies, the doctors, drug companies and importantly by the patients - public are causing the collapse of the iron and miry clay institutions to which we have become accustomed for health care. The greed that has decayed much of the corporate world has infected our health care system. Our president has asked congress for tort reform to bridle in the n dollar lawsuits being extorted by the trial lawyers. Reform is sure to be blocked by the trial lawyers (who own one of the major political parties). The lawyers abuses of the system are likely to go on unchecked. To insure quality of care, our government has required the licensing of physicians. This has given the doctors an iron clad monopoly for rendering medical care. Many, or most physicians have taken advantage of this monopoly to extort outrageous prices for their protected services. A prostate operation costs $5,000. It takes about 15 minutes (a bright high school student could be taught to do the procedure in a week!). A cataract operation costs $5,000. It takes about 20 minutes (a bright high schools student...). The providers of these expensive procedures believe their services are worth $10,000 per hour (and we are outraged at Ken Lay!). I remember the day when Blue Cross was started - on that very day, all doctors doubled their fees. One colleague remarked, This is better than a blank check! Patients balk at paying doctor bills, but they gladly pay through the nose for insurance! As doctors increased their charges, the insurance companies simply raised their rates contributing to the escalating cost of health care by automatically passing the cost of unreasonable fees on to the consumer. The cost of health insurance is now beyond the resources of most families. The drug companies are shouting to themselves, Hurrah for medical coverage of prescriptions! This will give them a blank check for robbing the taxpayers. Suing a doctor is an easy way to win the lottery. It has become a industry. The patients - public is in a large part responsible for the colossal costs of medical care. Patients demand unnecessary services and doctors hope to protect (and enrich) themselves by ordering unnecessary tests and procedures. We need a complete review of our health care delivery system. Some changes are going to have to be made. We can no longer accept the old ways of doing things. De Lamar Gibbons, M.D. Blanding 43576782653 . Send all address to P.O. Box 979, Montlcsllo, Utah 94535. Ths San Juan Record Is a membsr of changss ths Utah Press Association and National Newspaper Association. - Hillman Triathlon Tri-Ki- ds August 16 6 - 8 pm Blanding City Pool Entry Form Tri-Ki- ds Name Address QtyState2p Telephone ( Sex: Size: Youth Birth Date ) Female Male irt M am entering as an individual I am entering as a relay team I (Check One) Runner Swimmer Cyclist The other members of my team are: ZSHHZ1 MD RANCH COOKHOUSE SATURDAY AUGUST x afV Friday AUGUST 16 Navajo Tacos by I f L Priscilla 1 S 1 ) Saturday Mexican Food and August 1 7 Marguritas by Ray 380 South Main Monticello State Liquor License if?E 1029 435-587-32-99 XL L 17 9 am - 8 pm Monticello City Park COME SEE SPECTACULR VEHICLES FROM ALL OVER THE STATE & FOUR CORNERS re Witt BUCKS! 7 CA rEGvftiSS B hoi.t re cit S'u. a UiilS(.L.i.-iOi:.- - n . t ,r ,5.-- i ji.unii m S'1 Mi in SPONSORED BY iiiiii Advanced Automotive Repair Alan's Body Shop AutoZone BlackTracks Jeep Tours Canyonlands Tire Castle Rock Chevy CocaCola Bottling Co. Cosby Trucking Clark Hawkins Automotive Napa Motor Parts Parkway Texaco San Juan County Fair Call Amanda at for info and to enter 435-587-36- 21 |