Show I The nationwide skyrocketing hospital and doctor malpractice insurance has hit home Uintah County Commissioners Com Com- Commissioners missioners learned the other day when they opened bids for county liability insurance Two years ago the malpractice insurance on the Uintah County Hospital was a year The other day one bid went as high as for forthe the same coverage Fortunately another bid was submitted at a lower rate of or GOO percent Increase over two years ago The high bid amounts to 1433 percent increase over the year two-year-ago rate On top of this it was announced announced announced an an- nationally this week that hospital rates throughout the nation would probably Increase increase increase in In- crease by 25 percent or more this next year This puts us in a dilemma Can we ever afford hospital care and what do we do if we need it and can we afford not to have haveit It it It costs about per ambulance ambulance ambulance am am- trip to a Salt Lake hospital whether you take a hour four-hour ride by land or a three-quarters three of an hour ride by air The air service is becoming more more p popular pular because of the equipment now available Since Uintah County purchased purchased pur pur- chased a hew ambulance and started operating it under the new EMT program it has made the survival of the independently independently independently in in- dependently owned ambulance service financially impossible This will put the entire burden of ambulance service upon Uintah County The question now arises can the county get along with just one ambulance At first it may look less expensive but in times of serious emergencies it may prove more expensive At almost every serious accident involving two vehicles two ambulances are needed to care for the injured This was was proved just last Sunday It is also good insurance to have a aba ba backup kup unit i in iii case case of of failure needed repairs or two simultaneous accidents A good ambulance service should not pot be a financial burden to the county since those who use it should be charged enough to support the costs of operation It is unfortunate the Commissioners Commissioners Commissioners Com Com- missioners did not construct a double garage when they started to build the nearly finished single ambulance building We realize they had to scrape to come up with the funds for a single unit but it is too loo bad the plans didn't include a building to house two am am- Maybe before the county gets any more ambulances they should get a better place to take the accident victims An ambulance ambulance ambulance am am- isn't much good if you dont don't have the doctors and facilities to take care of the emergency victims Interest has been high lately among local medical people to gain the support of a private corporation which is in the business of building and running running run run- ning hospitals throughout the country to consider coming to Vernal Last week a representative of a large private hospital Corporation came to Vernal to look the place over and determine the feasibility of establishing a medical center in this area It Is our understanding the hospital would be run as a private business not costing the area anything to build or maintain and that its rates would be competitive with those of surrounding hospitals The county would give the corporation corporation cor cor- a franchise that it would not compete by having another hospital in the county The first prerequisite to get a private hospital corporation to come to a community we have been told is that the community must give solid percent support to the effort If there is any bickering or opposition within the community concerning the private hospital corporation coming into the community we have rove been told there is no chance of obtaining this kind of medical facility For this reason and end others some have been reluctant to suggest such an idea It puts the responsibility for securing an adequate medical facility squarely on the shoulders of the community If we want It and will support this type of arrangement there is a possibility of getting a privately funded hospital But nut If there Isn't community |