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Show Medical Association Sets Date For Finding Indigent Care Plan The House of Delegates of the Utah State Medical Assn., at a special meeting has set April, 1962, as the target date for the working out of a new and up to date program for medical care for the indigent, through the State Welfare Commission, said Harold Bowman, executive secretary sec-retary of the USMA. "Utah's doctors are performing perform-ing medical services for welfare department on the basis of a temporary agreement set up in July, 1957. The program was supposed to function for about six months until a more suitable plan was worked out. That was over four years ago, but we are still operating on the old program, pro-gram, which has become more and more difficult for doctors," he said. "Under the long antiquated arrangement, physicians have accepted fifty per cent of the regular fee for welfare medical work, but it costs most doctors at least fifty per cent of the fee to handle patients in an office. In addition, it costs more to handle a welfare patient than it does a regular patient because of the reports and paper work necessary to receive compensation. compensa-tion. Most doctors actually lose money handling such cases. This is the reason that doctors, almost unanimously, favor performing the indigent work for nothing at established clinics rather than getting the inadequate fee in the office. "Over the years, funds for welfare aid have increased, but more and more have been spent for hospitalization and , drugs, while a smaller proportionate share has been given to doctors for basic medical care. In this way the responsibility of the state, through the welfare department, de-partment, has been shifted from the state more and more on the shoulders of Utah's doctors who have always guaranteed that all persons in the state will be sure of medical help whether they can pay for it or not. "This has become a heavy burden for the doctors of Utah who donate from 12 to 14 per cent of their working time to charity, but the burden is now getting heavier. Legislation has been enacted whereby indigent segments of the popultaion do not have to ask for a double charity the state and doctor. Federal funds are available when matching funds are provided by a state legislature, but even with matching federal funds, money appropriated by the Utah Legislature Legis-lature has fallen far short of the needs of the state, despite the tremendous contributions of the doctors. We feel that the people in need are entitled to the 'same attention as other persons, and we respectfully request that the problem be studied by the legislators, legis-lators, the legislative council, the welfare department and the various counties to put the responsibility re-sponsibility where it lies. "Until then the Utah doctors will continue to provide medical care as they have done in the past and will help to establish and staff free clinics but in the meantime the problem must be brought out for a solution by state and county leaders before April 1," he stated. |
