Big Health Questions Are Being Posed
Would you be willing to
pay more of your
medical bills yourself in
exchange for lower in
surance premiums?
Or do you think
medical costs should be
reduced by charging
higher insurance
premiums to smokers
and other people who
practice poor health
habits?
Those are the kinds of
questions that Triangle
and Fayetteville area
residents, including
those in Warren County,
will get to answer in
April in a public opinion
survey on the rising costs
of health care.
The survey, called
Health Vote '85, is being
sponsored by the Public
Agenda Foundation and
the North Carolina Foun
dation for Alternative
Health Programs, Inc. in
cooperation with a varie
ty of area organizations
and institutions.
The survey will take
the form of a ballot to be
distributed in April in
Raleigh, Durham, Chap
el Hill, Fayetteville and
surrounding areas.
Thousands of ballots
will be inserted in
newspapers and distri
buted at shopping cen
ters, and no special
registration will be re
quired. Citizens will
simply vote for the solu
tions they think can best
solve the problem of ris
ing health-care costs.
But before they do, the
N.C. Foundation for
Alternative Health Pro
grams, Inc. is launching
a six-week information
campaign.
The Health Vote '85
campaign, which began
March 1, will be designed
to help people explore
the problem of high
medical costs and con
sider the pros and cons of
at least a dozen possible
solutions.
"Besides health in
surance, topics covered
may include the use of
alternative health-care
facilities and non
physician health
workers, Medicare,
duplication of services
and preventive Med
icine," according to Nan
Rideout, vice president
of the foundation.
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The issues and the
ballot questions have
been determined by a
board of advisors made
up of average citizens,
community leaders,
public health officials,
health-care providers
and people from civic
groups, insurance com
panies, and health care
facilities.
"So often people are
suspicious of what they
read because they're not
sure where it's coming
from," Ms. Rideout said.
"But in this campaign,
they can depend on infor
mation that represents
all points of view."
TTiere are no statewide
figures on the per capita
costs df health fcfcfe iTT
North Carolina, but
Rideout said some com
panies have found the
costs to be lower here
than in other states.
"The kicker in that
finding," she said, "is
that some studies have
shown that the rate of in
crease in medical costs
is higher in the Southeast
than in many other parts
of the country."
Between 1966 and 1978,
the United States as a
whole averaged an 11.6
percent increase in per
sonal health-care costs,
but that average was 12.6
percent in the Southeast
and 12.2 percent in North
Carolina. Ms. Rideout
How Important Is Dad
To Children In Family?
In some areas over 50
percent of the children
live in fatherless homes.
Many others in all areas
of America live without
a father. How are these
families managing, and
how does the lack of a
father in the home effect
the children?
"Research has shown
that a strong bond be
tween father and child
helps the child accept
responsibility and
society's expectations,"
says Dr. Leo Hawkins,
extension human de
velopment specialist,
North Carolina State
University.
"Without a father
figure a child is destin
ed to great insecurity
and a fear of being able
to adventure into
society. Without the
support and guidance of
fathers, children seem
to create many social
problems. They lack
responsibility, don't do
as well in school,
develop poor work
habits and are more
likely to take part in
crime," the extension
specialist says.
There is a mass of evi
dence showing how the
presence of a strong,
responsible father helps
develop a child's self
esteem, achievement,
morals, intellectual
growth, work and
emotional stability.
"To avoid exaggerat
ing the importance of a
father in the family one
point neeSfto be add
ed," Dr. Hawkins says.
"Studies of father
absence have shown
that women alone do a
very good job of parent
ing when they have
adequate income, sup
port from her family,
friends and community,
plus strong emotional
health.
"The problem, of
course, is that few
female-headed one
parent families have
these ideal supports.
Poverty, alone, is a big
enough problem to
assure that one-parent
families will continue to
be a big concern of the
American people," the
extension specialist
concludes.
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clean, dry and comfortable,
hear gentle voices and cheer
ful sounds and receive lots of
praise.
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J
1b
said that some com
panies in the state have
seen their medical in
surance costs jump
much as 75 percent in a
single year.
•We have more to gain
by stemming the rapid
rate of increase now than
by waiting until we get
into a crisis, where the
absolute level is up with
everybody else," she
said. .
Warren County Health
Director Joe Lennon said
this week he was en
couraged about the
possibilities of the
campaign. „
"It's a good thing,
Lennon said. "It's a
chance for people to look
at what's happening in
the area of medical nre
and \ get a handle on
why medical costs are so
high and who is paying.
It will give us an oppor
tunity to look at some
alternatives."
For more information
about educational
resources available to
local communities in
preparation for Health
Vote '85, write to Health
Vote '85, P.O. Box 10245,
Raleigh, N.C. 27605 or
call (919 ) 821-0491.
In addition to The War
ren Record, Health Vote
'85 information will be
carried during the cam
paign in the Raleigh and
Durham daily
newspapers and by
Raleigh and Durham
television stations.
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