Editorial
Doctor's strike
symbolizes change
in medical views
Two doctors in Aquidneck Island, a Rhode Island com
munity, are on strike. They refuse to treat pregnant women
on Medicaid because the $350 payment does not cover the
cost of the entire delivery. This strike sends out a strong
signal to the medical community: profits over care.
The state is considering raising the Medicaid payments
from $350 to $750. But malpractice insurance rates may dou
ble by july, making the new payments obsolete.
The dispute in Rhode Island is not a unique problem.
Doctors in other states also have to deal with small Medicaid
payments. But Aquidneck Island is a relatively isolated com
munity. Only five obstetricians practice in the area and pro
vide the only source of prenatal care. The nearest hospital or
clinic is in Providence, about a hour bus ride from
Aquidneck Island.
Low-income women have only one choice for prenatal
care. By closing this option, the doctors may receive their
demands, but they undermine the purpose of the medical
profession. They still are treating existing patients and pa
tients they treated in the past. But new patients have
nowhere to turn for care.
Obviously some solution is necessary. The Medicaid
program in Rhode Island is sound. It provides for 12 visits
before delivery, labor supervision, and three post-delivery
checkups. Because the amounts of Medicaid payments are
determined by the individual states, these checkups are not
always provided in other areas of the country. In some cities
low-income mothers have their babies in an emergency
room — with no care before, and very little after, the birth.
This incident in Rhode Island is a reflection of the pro
blems existing in the medical profession nationwide. As the
technology available to and the skills of doctors increase, so
does the profit motive. And it does not only affect pregnant
low-income women. The elderly and the poor also feel the
loss of medical attention.
The days of the caring Doctor Welby have disappeared,
and the medical profession has become glamorized — to the
extent that doctors expect a life of luxury by the time they
start their practice. This attitude hurts the entire profession.
In a January article, Newsweek explored the “quicker
and sicker” syndrome. In order to cut costs, hospitals are
treating patients more quickly but sending them home
before they have completely recovered. One hospital was
able to save $4.7 million in charges by cutting the average
length of stay by only two-tenths of a day. There is no
evidence to say this harms the patient. But it continues to
send out the message of profits first.
the poor and the elderly are the most vulnerable to
hospitals motivated by money. As hospitals become
businesses, the idea of caring for people becomes a secon
dary standard. Medicaid and Medicare do not cover all the
costs of a patients stay. But they do cover some.
The doctors in Rhode Island and doctors throughout the
nation should re-examine their priorities. The poor need
medical attention and it should be provided for them —
regardless of their ability to pay.
Medical care is something we take for granted until we
need it. The medical profession should not be undermined
by basic greed. It is considered a respected profession. But if
doctors continue to place money over patients, this view
could change quickly.
mws&Dnm»
USTCAD OP CONDOMS, WEAR
LEISURE 3UTS.
Letters
Fetuses
We shouldn’t lose sight of the
most important factor in the
abortion controversy. The factor
that overshadows any other
consideration is whether a baby
in the womb is human. If so.
that child deserves protection.
First of all, the term “fetus”
is a descriptive term just like
“infant'* or “adolescent.”
Some people actually will say.
“WeTe talking about a fetus,
not a baby. The absurdity of
such a statement is quite
apparent.
The “fetus" develops brain
waves during the first two mon
ths after conception. The heart
develops earlier than that. Most
medical experts consider a per
son legally dead when brain
waves stop. So shouldn’t
human life be considered as ex
isting after brain waves have
first started?
The baby is as genetically dif
ferent from the mother as you or
I are from our mothers — a sim
ple tissue biopsy would reveal
that. The baby’s blood cir
culates in an enclosed system,
and his or her blood type might
be totally different than the
mother’s.
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True, the baby depends on
the mother for nourishment the
entire nine months, but when
born that child will depend on
others for survival. Come to
think of it, don’t we all depend
on others throughout our lives?
It would be ridiculous to base
our ‘‘value” or right to live on
our independence from others.
To “abort a fetus” actually
means to kill a baby when
translated. That’s what
motivates people to seek an end
to legalized abortion.
I«ori Parkman
Elmira
Being there
The movie “Platoon” and its
associated reverberations in
cluding comment and critical
evaluation have occupied con
siderable time and verbiage.
From the perspective of a
former infantryman/sniper in
Vietnam during most of 1969
and part of 1970, it appears that
the most common reactions to it
are either disbelieving or sensa
tionalistic. To those who would
disbelieve, it happened. To
those who would sensa
tionalize, in terms of its ab
solute horror, it was sensational
enough for even the most jaded
of those who watch horror
films.
To those who would criticize
its textual content, those con
versations were the start of a
process of catharsis, which was
interrupted by the understan
dable vyjsh of the American
public to forget there was ever
the “travesty” of Vietnam.
We who were there Wish we
could forget too. but that has
not been possible in the 17 years
since 1 was evacuated, for me as
an individual.
The mechanics of fighting a
guerrilla war are such that all
non-Americans must be con
sidered as the potential end to
one’s life, and thus must be
stopped in any wav possible if
survival is to be insured.
Personally, in terms of the
events depicted in the film, I
have seen much worse and done
much worse, though I have
spoken little. My actions and
those of others were non-normal
reactions to non-normal situa
tions, of which war is made up.
Disbelievers, welcome to the
real world.
Dan Flemmer
Anthropology GTF
Bad analogy
Dan Goulet’s surreal
analogies (ODE, Feb. 11) do not
even merit response. With hind
sight, it is rather obvious that
the Weather Underground was
using rather foolish means to at
tain a worthy end.
“Murderous?” I am not
aware of a shred of evidence
that reflects their intention to
murder anyone.
“Terrorists?” I doubt if
anyone ever lost ten minutes of
sleep worrying about being
blown up by their organization.
This may be a “great nation,”
but training people to go half
way around the world to ter
rorize a tiny country — as the
ROTC was doing — was a
perversity we ought not to
forget.
Go see “Platoon,” and you’ll
see what the Weather people,
however unrealistically, were
trying to stop.
As for Bissell, why send a
person, who for years has been
serving other people, to prison
because he (allegedly) attemp
ted to damage some property 17
years ago?
Brian Anglin
Ex<combat medic
Vietnam
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