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Show ll33 Health reform collapses WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's 39 million uninsured aren't the only losers from the collapse of health reform. The high hopes that many physicians, hospitals and even insurance companies had placed in a major overhaul also have been dashed. The American Medical Association had lobbied furiously for special protections to guarantee patients' right to choose their doctors and to prevent big insurance companies from arbitrarily cutting physicians out of their networks. For now, that battle is lost. Small businesses dodged a bullet in helping to kill President Clinton's p:oposal to make all employers help pay their workers' premiums. But they also lost a chant:e to join governmentassisted purchasing pools to get a better price on the high premiums m any sm all businesses now pay. Even before the White House launched its crusade, teaching hospita ls were worried that NATIONAL DIGEST belt-tightening and the shift to managed care by big insurers aµd employers would cost them patients and revenues. The academic health centers would have gotten billions of dollars each year in new, earmarked federal revenues under Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell's plan. The demise of reform leaves them back at square one. The most obvious losers are the 15 percent of Americans with no health insurance and the millions more with inadequate coverage. Some 81 million Americans - nearly a third of the population - are said to have preexisting conditions that make getting or keeping insurance a constant worry. While Congress had retreated weeks ago from Clinton's goal of guaranteed coverage for every American, all of the health bills had promised to curb abusive insurance company practices and make it easier for Americans to stay insured when they changed jobs or got ill. JURY SELECTION SPEEDS UP; PROSPECTS VOLUNTEER TO SERVE: The judge in the O.J. Simon case predicted speedy selection of a jury and expressed surprise Tuesday at the number of people willing to give up months of their lives to participate in the famous murder trial. Superior Court Judge Lance Ito said the number willing to serve was 25 percent to 30 percent higher than he had anticipated when he summoned 1,000 prospective jurors. Ito had four sets of roughly 250 people on call this week, but said the last batch may not be needed. His goal is to find 250 people who pass the soca.lled hardship phase of jury selection and can proceed to the next portion, fudge Lance Ito where they will be asked about their personal Lives as well as their attitudes toward the Simpson case. COUPLE WHO ADOPTED UNWANTED CHILDREN FACE TRIAL: Jury selection began yesterday in the Nasons' trial on m ore than t wo dozen charges. Among oth er things, the Nasons are accused of letting three small children die neglected in their beds, one from starvation and two from a form of dysentery; using a cattle prod to disciplinolder children; falsifying records to adopt more children; and siphoning off $10,000 in contributions. If convicted of the most serious count, racketeering, they could get 20 years in prison and $100,000 in fines. General Motors workers go on strike FLINT, Mich. (API - Up to 11,500 workers went on strike yes terday, at a key General Motors Corp. complex, shutting off the flow of parts needed to keep many ot GM plants running. As many as 100,000 other GM workers could be idled within 48 hours, a union leader warned. The United Auto Workers walked off the job at the huge Buick City complex, complaining of production speedups, safety problems and subcontracting. Welder Dave Falting translated that as he walked a picket line: "They stepped up the lines, and didn' t have enough people to do the Jnb." GM would not speculate on the walkout's effect, which comes in the middle of a production and sales boom for the world's No. 1 automaker. Diane Neason Welcome Bacl< suu St-udents Does any of the following apply to you? • Parents Insured with Farmers •A non-smoker •A good student •Over 25 years old • Have an automatic seatbelt in your car •Have anti-lock brakes in your car •Have an air bag in your car If So, Then You May Be Eligible to Receive Lower Auto Insurance Rates! Olcott Insurance Agency 444 s. Main Sutie Ml, Cedar City 586-4600 Nothing Over $1 · Cleaning Products •Munchies •Toys · Housewares Lasso r------------------------, Beaver 10 C. N. Main 438-5358 20% Off Cleaning Products w I Student ID Exp . I 0· 12-94 L------------------------~ I CedarCity 25 N. Main 586-4884 |