TOBACCO TAX WON T WORK. HE SAYS
Rose: No Health Care Reform
Package This Year
BY SUSAN USHER
Don't expect enactment of a
health care reform plan this year,
U.S. Rep. Charles G. (Charlie) Roae
told an audience of between 80 and
100 health care providers, farmers
and other small business owners,
and consumers interested in reform
proposals now before Congress.
Rose, who confirmed that he is
officially seeking the Speaker of the
House of Representatives post, said
he couldn't vote for any existing
health 'care bills in their present
form.
One of the big concerns: how to
create a plan, and a funding mecha
nism, that all affected parties can
live with. Achieving that goal is
complicated by it being an election
vear and bv there beinv no unified
front that expresses the desires of
consumers, he said.
Rather than adopt a reform mea
; sure simply to have reform. Rose
said he prefers a slower process that
takes into account the concerns ex
pressed by various interests while
Addressing the two key problems
with health care today: access and
affordability.
For example, the home health
care industry opposes 20-percent co
payments for home health care vis
( its, saying their patients can't pay
that.
Rose suggested the plan Congress
adopts shouldn't include an increase
in the tobacco tax or an additional
burden on employees. Rose said. To
reduce the costs of additional tests
required by doctors to back their
professional judgments, he supports
a simultaneous change in tort laws
to reduce the liability claims juries
can award in medical cases.
The health care reform proposal
backed by President Bill Clinton re
lies on an increase in the tobacco
tax, which Rose predicted would not
do the job after the first year, when
the "goose"' would be killed because
people would give up smoking be
fore paying the higher cost of tobac
co products.
SPEAKING FRIDAY at a health care forum at The Brunswick Hospital, Dr. John J. Caulfield, an oral surgeon , j
coverage to improve the existing health care system rather than inventing a new plan that might not work as well.
Rose also noted that the health
care industry is making changes in
response to concerns about rising
health care costs. Last year, for ex
ample, the cost of health care rose
only 2M percent, where in recent
years it has exceeded the Consumer
Price Index by 10 percent to 12 per
cent.
It was Rose's second visit here to
discuss health care. Several months
ago he attended a smaller gathering
held at the office of Dr. Charles
Locke, who also introduced him
Friday night.
"I was very pleased to hear his
lack of urgency, in the sense that he
felt it was important to do the right
legislation ? something we can all
live with ? rather than hunying to
get a bill passed," said Mark
Gregson, chief executive officer of
The Brunswick Hospital, which
hosted the health care issues forum.
Gregson noted one study that sug
gested several change* in the current
health care system would "take care
of health care needs of 91 percent of
the people" and 97 percent of the
dollars spent for health care." That
plan, unlike some others, would in
clude no mandatory provision rules
for businesses and no increased tax
es.
Those changes: subsidizing health
care insurance premiums for house
holds receiving up to 200 percent of
the federal poverty level ? the so
called working poor, and providing
a tax deduction for health care insur
ance premiums.
"Things can be done," said
Gregson. "I firmly believe we have
the best health care system in the
world." He said there are steps that
can be taken to increase its effec
tiveness. those don't include the
broad federal role in health care pro
posed in some plans, which he be
lieves would only result in a larger
bureaucracy and poorer care.
Managed care is one example of a
change that benefits providers and
consumers, he suggested, offering a
means of helping people stay
healthy and meeting consumers'
needs while keeping costs down by
utilizing services at the minimum
level nccessary.
"I'm glad to see that Charlie Rose
has an understanding of that and that
the message is making some
progress through the halls of
Washington."
Joe Stanley is president of the
South Brunswick Islands Chamber
of Commerce, partner with his
brother Maliston in an auto repair
and used car sales business, and a
member of board of the N.C. Rural
Economic Development Center. As
a small businessman he has con
cerns about health care reform, par
ticularly mandates that require em
ployers to provide a certain level of
insurance coverage for workers.
Those proposals "might not bank
rupt some of us," he said in an inter
view Monday, but could result in
lost jobs as some employers choose
to cut their work force rather than go
out of business.
"Unless the rich are willing to pay
more and the poor are willing to pay
some, we'll never have true health
care reform," he suggested.
"It's costing small businesses al
ready because we haven't done
that," he suggested, referring to in
creasing cost of coverage. "It's a re
al complex problem and there arc no
easy answers."
Stanley shared much of that same
message at a Jan. 20 health care fo
rum held at N.C. State University in
RaUioh wtvin? as a panelist at the
request of the sponsor, 4th District
U.S. Rep. David Price.
Mandatory coverage at the pro
posed program costs would simply
add to the "burden" already levied
on small business owners through
government programs such as
Workman's Compensation, Social
Security withholding and unemploy
ment benefits, he said.
"I would be more than willing to
pay all of my insurance coverage if I
could find a study that suggests that
increased benefits for employees
significantly increases productivity."
"I sincerely hope that a plan can
be developed that would be fair and
beneficial to all concerned."
Judge To Speak At '
Reach- Out ' Banquet
District Court Judge Ola M.
Lewis will speak at the Concerned
Citizens Operation Reach-Out
Organization's (CCORO) ninth an
nual awards banquet in Loris, S.C.,
Aug. 6.
Lewis is the first African
Asj-ricsn and firs; scsss to be ap
pointed district judge over North
Carolina's 13th Judicial District,
which includes Brunswick, Bladen
and Columbus counties. She is the
youngest sitting district judge in the
state, having been appointed to the
position at age 27 by Governor Jim
Hunt. Her speech topic will be
"Your Destiny Is In Your Hands."
Also at ihe banquet, area citizens
will be honored for their service to
their communities. Names of the
honorces are
kept secret until
the night of
banquet.
Lewis, of
Boiling Spring
Lakes, was
graduated with
honors from
Fayetteville
State University
with a major in
accounting. She earned her juris
doctor degree from North Carolina
Central University School of Law
and was admitted to the North
Carolina Bar in 1990.
She also worked with N.C House
Speaker Dan Blue's law firm of
Thigpen, Blue, Stephens and Fellers
of Raleigh.
Prior to her appointment she
served as assistant district attorney
at the Brunswick County court
house. She is the daughter of Mose
and Doris Lewis.
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