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Show TheSalt Lake Tribune OPINION AA3 Sunday, May 23, 1999 Despite ‘Star Wars,’ Those Pesky World Issues Just Refuse to Go Away RUSSIAN Unless your nameis Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan orat least Karl, your chances toget frontpage coverage these days are limited at best. But elsewhere, surprising as it may seem, life goes on even in the historic “Star Wars”/NBA playoffs era. NATOmissiles keep raining on Yugo- slavia, Bibi Netanyahu mourns his pathetic showingin theIsraeli election, and President Clinton's Russianfriend Boris Just got accepted in the international club of Great-Power Presidents Who Almost Lost Their Jobs. Actually, President Yeltsin fared slightlybetter than Clinton did. The State Duma — unlike the House here — failed to find him guilty even on one of the five proposed impeachment articles. The accusations against the Russian leader were, of course, rather different from those in Clinton’s sex-scandal pro- ceedings — 80,000 killed in Yeltsin’s clumsy attempt to deal with Chechen sep- aratists, a parliament shelled by tanks whenit refused to endorse Yeltsin's policies in 1993, and a few other problems like destruction of the armed forces and genocideagainst the Russian people. exactly can be called a “success” in Kosovo. Endof the NATO bombings? Return ofthe refugees? Ousterof Yugoslav Pres: ident SlobodanMilosevic? Disarming the Kosove separatists? But despite all the conflicting points of viewon that, thereis Butin anycase,Yeltsin, just as Clinton a few months earlier, won convincingly. Healso managedto exploit the situation further and forced the feisty Russian lawmakers to accept his newchoice of prime minister, Sergei Stepashin, to replace the Duma’s favorite, Yevgeny a rather simple common denominator, whichis a decisive endof killings Primakov. Now for Yeltsin and Clintonlife goes Judging fromthe noises coming from the Europeancapitals with the excep back to what it was before the impeachment attempts, with Clinton trying to play a tough guy overseas and Yeltsin coming down with yet another bronchitis. On the other hand, both presidents, with their terms nearly over, are understandablyconcernedabouttheir place in history. ys, they may actually get a chanceto ensure themselves a decent one, Whatevercircumstancesledto the war in Yugoslavia, endingit on a successful note would be a godsend for Clinton's reputation. He maypresent himself as a rless champion of Western values. h sounds significantly better than tion of London andthe U.N. headquarters, it may happenrelatively soon NATO and Milosevic still sound militant S ke MICHEAL NAKORYAKOV some of the names he has beencalled lately. ForYeltsin, negotiating a peace dealin Kosovo would be noless of a break through. ‘he ailing, unpopular Russian leader may actually go downinhistory as a peacemaker, whostood upto the over, whelming military might ofthe 19 N. countries to defend not just the Slav brothers in Serbia but also the new, peaceful approachto resolving interna tional conflicts. The big issie is to determine what but it is getting increasingly clear that both sides are frustrated with the way things have been turning out with NATO's “collateral damages” overshad. owingits rather insignificant advances and Milosevic’s troops starting to desert in Kosovo. What will happennext? “People used to say, ‘You canget ev erything fromaneedle toa locomotive’ * helicopter.” ting back to Whi not for opposition, Obviously, things areget “normal” there. out Milosevic? Well. Slobo is and voices of the democratic which openly counts on the American support after the war, already are heard like theoneofZoranDjindjic. After relatives of Serb men drafted to serve in Kosovo rallied in the southern city of Krusevae for two days, Djindjic told Austrianstate radio that people “do not want to die blindly anymore.” This is the same man who in 1993re wrote the platform of his Democratic Party to denounce the idea of autonomy for Kosovo. The party called for special measures to limit the birth rate of the ethnic Albanian majority. It demanded a referendum on the restoration of Yuge slavia’s old monarchy a view favored by ultranationalist Serbs. These positions remainontheparty platform today May the force be with us. from smugglers, an ethnic Albanian trader named Aboboasted in Eedeor Montenegro. “Now they would say erything from a needle to an nck Michael Nakoryakov is aneditor at The Tribune's World News Desk. Until 1991, he was a journalist in Russia. Increasing Health Insurance Costs Chill Small Business Ability to Compete BY RONC More and more small employers are R finding it impossible to keep up with For overa decade, small-business owners in Utah and throughoutthe nation have consistently rated health insurance costs. astheirsingle biggest problem.It's easy to see why. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small firms typically must pay as much as 40 percent more than their big-business competitors for comparable health coverage. After several years of modest premium increases, insuranceprices in the small. business market have taken off again. by the National FederationofIn. dependent Business (NFIB) indicate that the typical small-business health premium has beenjackedup 10-14 percent in eachofthe last two years — three times the rateofincreaseforlarge corporations andfive timestherateofinflation. ® insuranceinflation. these price hikes. Many have no choice After analyzing the proposal earlier this year, Utah's Joan Ogden & Associates but to drop their health insurance spon estimatedthis single mandatewould raise number of people without health cover. cent andper’haps byas muchas8 percent. “Insignificant,” sniff the mental-health What is wonderful, what indeed pas: providers urging adoption of the measure. sorship. Little wonder, then, that the agecontinues to grow. seth all understanding, is that so mai lawmakers, both state andfederal, co tinue to pursue health “reforms” that health premiums by a minimumof 3 per- But such“insignificant”price hikes significant — andquite serious yield conse. 1998 alone, 5 percent of our members dropped their companyhealth plans due to cost increases. In real numbers, this means that nearly 1,000 employees of small Utah businesses lost their health care in 1998 as a direct result of climbing costs, Mental health parity is not the only unfunded mandate sought by special- interest health groups. The Legislature entertained 10 health mandatebills dur- would onlyaggravate this alreadyserious quencesin the health-care marketplace. A 1997 analysis by CONSADResearch. Inc., of Pittsburghfound that every 1 per- For instance, “mental health parity” mayrequire all health policies in the cent increase in insurancecosts nation- percent to premiumcosts. situation. stateto cover treatment of serious mental illnesses at the samedollarlevel as other typesofillnesses. While noble in design, the real-world effect of this unfunded mandate would be to add additional fuel to the already roaring fire of health wide causes 300,000 Americansto lose or drop their coverage. A subsequent study by The Lewin Groupof Virginia confirmed CONSAD'sconclusions. Among NFIB-Utah members, we have already seen this chilling effect of in creasesin the costof health insurance,In ing this year’s regular session. Together, they would have added as much as 40 Infocusing onfeel-good mandates,leg- islators not onlyignore the biggest prob- lem with insurance — cost they exac- erbate it. They are forcingin: consumersto sacrifice “the good I albeit not ideal coverage) for “theperfect” (policies with gold-plated soup-to-nuts coverage). Unfortunately, few small-business owner: their employees can afford Cadill: verage. Most are on Chevrolet budgets. If lawmakers continuetopile on the tinfunded mandates, more and more Utahnswill find coverage priced beyond their means. Our lawmakers need to refocus their attention onour biggest health problem — insuranceaffordability. Rather than seek to “perfect” coverage for those already insured, their top priority must be legislative initiatives that will help place essential coverage within the financial reach ofthose who are nowwithout any coverage whatsoever. Ron Casperis thestate director ofthe National Federation of Independent Business, Utah’s largest small-business advo: cacy group. University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics Congratulates ° the School of Medicine Class of 1999 A Brandon Samuel Allen Carrie Ashby Jonathan Wadsworth Blanch David William Blodgett Russell David Bradford Melissa Ann Brown Michelle Burnside Arlene Regina Burton David A. Calderwood Jeffrey Owen Carlsen David Marvin Dansie Brian Patrick Desmond Kim-Ahn Thi Doan Kumaran N. Duraiswamy Alexander E, Fraley Anthony Joseph Garcig James Gardiner Jenne Eva Garrett Chad M. Gonzales Jarid Gray Leslie Greenwood Rene C. Hunter Eric Jensen Jeffrey L. Jensen David Jay Johnston Christopher John Gregory Randy Eugene Jones Felipe Gutierrez-Najera Deborah Anthony Hackett William Bradley Hale Laura Hammitt Lance M. Harmon Thomas 0. Higginbotham Elliotte Lynn Hirshberg Kevin C. Holmes Maria Houtchens Janet Howard Aya Kamaya James L, Kimball, II Mark Anthony Jones Douglas Kondo Anne G. W. Lin Heather Viola Linebarger Robbins Lines Steven C. Lore Brian W. Loveridge Ryan B. Lundell Trek Lyons James R. Manazer Justin Wade Mansfield Camille L. Mason John R. Matheson Rachel Alima Mayorga Chad Donald McCormick Ryan Clark McCune John E. jiner - ~~ Andrew Gregory Moran Michael J. Morrison Cynthia Squires Murray Thomas Dyreng Myers Radhika Naidu Elise Newman Scott Robert Newman Steven Richard Newman Richard Devon Paxton Karen Murray Radley Heidi Regenass Daniel Delbert Ririe Marnie Royall Ririe Margaret L. Duncan Roberts Mark Everett Rose Kemia Sarraf Shell, jummerhays Savage Mitzi D. Schmidt Adam Joseph Schow Maria A. Schwartz Rameet Singh Daniel Irvin Lewis Slater Paula Slater TimothyEarl Snell Our doctors and the others graduating from America’s medical schools this month will begin their careers with thelatest scientific knowledge and one idea that’s as gi as the medical profession itself. Caring. That means taking the timeto listen to patients -about their hopes, their fears, their families lives. And answering their questions clearly and compassionatel; In other words, treating them as patients and caring for them as people. all this so important? Because as always, the science of medicine works best when practiced with the art of caring. Get a copy of any Tribune photo. ‘ Amie Elizabeth Nuttall Squires David Andrew Stevenson Danielle Taysom Jennifer J. Tittensor John Erik Tobey Michael McLain Todd Gloria Jinglon Tong Tamara Torres John Lawrence Unanue Jeffrey Watabe Brian Jeffrey Williams Jeanne H. Williams Christopher Rich Wixom Nancy Jane Wright K Duff Yauney ry M. Zeigler ASSCEIATION OF Raid MERONces ‘An 8110 glossy reprint of any photo taken by a Salt Lake Tribune photographer and published in The Tribune can be yours for $15, Subsequent copies $10 cach. Photas cannot be used far ‘commercial purposes, (Commercial use contracts are available for some photos with a signed aggeement.) Call 539-TRIB to order. \ |
