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Show A7 _ TheSalt Lake Tribune UTAHSaturday, May22, 1999 BlueCross sicians will not change. However, To End Coverage bia doctors haveprivileges at IHC year,” said Allison Robbins, vice president for Columbia’s Utah hospital network. “We really feel tients may be forced to change or heard At Six Hospitals doctors. In addition to ValueCare cus- only about 60 percent of Colum- facilities. That means some pa- tomers, Columbia hospitals also @ Continued from A-1 CSRS have been offered to BlueCross’ 400,000 other members underthe like we werenot beinglistened to Additionally, she said BlueCross has not creased reimbursement et for Columbia hospitals since 1991 “What that means is they may Mountain View Hospital in Pay carrier's other plans. To replace Wasatch Front hos- pital services for its members, have increased one rate and reduced anotherat the sametime,” shesaid. ue going to those facilities, but will have to pay more for their BlueCross has negotiated a contract with IHC that will last through the end of 1999 Memberswill be able to go to THC’s Cottonwood Hospital in But Bischoff said the hospital chain’s demands “were so great that our two companies weren't even in the same universe and we just could not subject our custom- son. . BlueCross members can contincare, said BlueCross spokesman KevinBischoff. BlueCross contracts with the two former Columbia hospitals sold recently in rural Utah — Ashley Valley Medical Center in Vernal and Castleview Hospital in Price — will not beaffected. Negotiations continue, but BlueCross already has signed on with another hospital network, Intermountain Health Care (IHC). ValueCare member Kelly Chopus cannot understand why the two sides can't cometogether out of concernforthe patients “I’m being forced to choose among two sourcesof health care for me and my family,” she said “BlueCross has beenvery good to us on the one hand. We have good coverageandit's affordable. On the other hand, all the momen- tous occasions in my life have happened at St. Mark's Hospital, including the birth of mytwo children. “It's not only annoying,it’s up- setting, and the more [ think about it, the angrier I get. When all is said and done, they're all go- ing to make their money. Butit’s going to be people like me who are going to agonize over healthcare choices. Is anyone thinking about the consumers here?” Letters explaining the changes will be mailed Thursday to all BlueCross customers. BlueCross Executive Vice President Mike Mitchell said memberswill have access to nearby, non-Columbia hospitals, and their choice of phy- Murray or McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden. LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City will treat critical-care patients enrolled in the ValueCare plan. All BlueCross members also can chose amongParacelsus’ four hospitals along the Wasatch Front — Salt Lake Regional Medical Center in Salt Lake; Pioneer Valley Hospital in West Valley City, Jordan Valley Hospital in West Jordan, and Davis Medical Center and Hospital in Layton. University Hospital in Salt Lake City re- mains an option as well tients to Columbia. issued a statementcriticizing Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, \)-Mo., for not first holding hearings. But Gephardt said quicker action was needed Gun enthusiasts are quick to point out they share the outrage. People who are doing this[selling guns] hurt just as much and have just as much feeling as any- ‘The award winners were select ed by NBAplayers through 1980 andsince then have beendeter: Mitchell of BlueCross said the corporation increased Columbia’s reimbursement rates from 1992 until the mid-1990s, when “some” of their reimbursement rates werefrozen after medical-claims costs started exceeding premium minedbythe news media Asked about Malone's selection he MVP, agent Dwight Manley aid, “I don’t know whether that has happened or not. But, if so. they couldn't have made a more bodiment of what a professional NBA MY¥Ps oh P basketbali player and a profes- sional athlete should be. Malone shot acareer-high 78.8 percent fromthe free-throw line this season and, twice during the 50-gameschedule, he madethree str aight foul shots in thefinal sec ondsto help the Jazz beat Sacra mento and Phoenix, respectively. “Karl does so manythings to helphis team win,” said M “Just what he’s donewithhis free throwsis amazing... That’s not something you go to class and learn. It takes work and concentration. Of course, Malone's second MVP season hada few lowlights too He was fined $5,000 andsuspendedfor a gameby NBAsenior vicepresident of operations Rod Thorn for throwing a punch at Houston's Othella Harrington Malonealso wasfined $10,000 for hitting Portland's Brian Grant with an elbow in Game1 of the Western Conferencesemifinal series, which resumes today at 1 p.n, (MDT) at the Rose Garden lumbia’s proposals that would “al of which were not accepted,” he “Weunderstand this is part of the Columbia strategy to renego- tiate new rates,” Mitchell said of “Why Columbia would basically drop BlueCross has got us scratching our heads, it doesn't makea wholelotof senseto us,” said IHC spokesman Daron Cowley. As an HMO and health-care network, IHC competeswith both entities. Columbia officials filed a letter of termination earlier this year after BlueCross imposed unilateral cuts in reimbursement rates for Columbiahospitals last year. “We expressed our dissatisfaction, our unwillingness to accept that reduction through the entire Yet requiring gun checks for Enjoy Attention Majority Whip Tom DeLay, Rlexas, who planstovisit Utah to- month Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson interrupted Jor- Karl is the em- added son, Joe, traveled from Madison, day, dan’s reign — partly because Jordan was out of basketball for most of two seasons. have increased the rates — At the sametime, BlueCross offered a significant source of pa- everyone would be “penalizing lies of thevictims of the shooting last month at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Three of the one-time winners whatwe areaskingis very reasonable.” The hike Columbia is requesting, she said, amounts to about one percent of the average member's premium payment per providers and health-care facilities, which have included every Gun-Show Vendors Do Not @ Continued from A-1 Malone and Bob Pettit of the St Louis Hawk have each won two MVP. trophii The award was created in 1 — when Pettit earned hisfirst. came from1993-95, whenCharles revenues. BlueCross executives have made three counteroffers to os hospital in Utah. @ Continued from A-1 ers to that kind of an increase.” Countered Robbins, “We may not be in the same universe, but Still, the change goes against the strategy that has made BlueCross the most popular insurer in the state — its diverse panels of Malone Wins His Second NBA MVPAward admirable choice. people that collect.” he said. ‘The former Ohio highway pa- trol officer and his 21-year-old S.D., to the Salt Lake City show to sell theitems theycollected. They are not federally licensed because the government asked for a dia- gram of Bill Hawkey’s home along with fingerprints and color photographs of him. He found the request too intrusive. Hawkey likened a gun show to “a family get-together” or a barbecue“with old family friends.” “There's nobody there who wants to see anybody shot,” he said. “What are they going to ban next: propane? There's not going to be any end of it.” Andnewlaws, he said, will not solve the problem. “We're setting bad examplesforour kids. It’s not the guns,” he said. “The easiest thingto doright nowis to pick on bodyelse,” said Bill Hawkey, a guns.” eller of vintage military equipiment including handgunsand rifles supports requiring checks for ey- Lee Thompson. afederally registered gun dealer from Vernal, the contract termination. “They think it places them in a stronger position to renegotiate con- tracts.” Robbins said Columbia had no choice. Its contract with Blue- Cross is self-perpetuating, it does nothave to be renewed each year So Columbia was forced to terminate the contract in order to rene- gotiate its terms. ‘Those negotiations have been going on for nearly a year. Customers with questions can call BlueCross at 333-2100 or (800) 624-6519. eryone. Along with new weapons his collection includes used semi- automatic and AK-47rifles. “If someone doesn’t want to do a background check, you kind of wonder about them,” he said Still, he does not see back- Aomeaell ays ground checksas an answer. “The problem has been there have been private owners coming into gun shows with their own private stock and they've triedto sell without paperwork.” And, he pointedout, Sealy Posyae Firm he said “There's still no background checksif yousell it through the paper orsell it toa friend.” Al Robbins, an unlicensed seller from Salt Lake City, said collecting shotgunsand riflesis “just a hobby.” He said heopposeskill ing anything and said heeven car- ries spiders outdoors when he finds (het inside Although “everybody's pretty much pro-gun in the state of Utah,” he said, gunsellers feel Twin ea.pc. -. Full ea.pe. King Set . at Posture Premier Top ee& WoolPlush or Pillow Sealy Posture Premier Cushion Firm threatened by the new political climate. 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