Governor hopeful over new Oregon health plan mssm SALEM (AP) — Gov Barbara Roberts says she’s optimistic the Ore gon Legislature will find $H5 mil lion to launch Oregon * neann care rationing plan dospit** concerns about funding and forcing employers to com ply "It is n commitment that we made to the people of this slate that wo would fund the Oregon health plan." the gover nor said in an interview. "We are not willing to walk away from this " Oregon received the Clinton adminis tration's blessing earlier this year for its plan to extend Medicaid coverage to 120.000 poor people by limiting the ser ve es pair! by the state Sini e then, however, there's been no agreement bv the l^tgislature to raise tax es or fees to pav for the health plan at a time w hen other state programs an' fai jug budget cuts from 1000 s Measure 'i House Majority Leader Greg Walden. K-iiood Kiver. said resolution ol the funding issue may Ih> stalled by disagree ment over the way employers will hove to offer coverage to the uninsured. WaIdini fits to 500.000 working people who now hove no insurance Walden said As MX iated Oregon Indus tries and other business groups are wor ried because details of the 1995 employ er mandate haven't been worked out set "l, for one. am not ready to deal with funding the plan until we deal with these issues." Walden said We ought to solve these problems before launching the pro gram." The governor, who lobbied intensively for federal approval of the rationing plan, said the business groups are getting pre maturely alarmed over tin? employer mandate Many of the details about the kind of inauranc« programs businesses will be required to offer and other elements of the program can he worked out in the interim period after tin* 1993 Legislature adjourns and in the early going of the 1995 session, she said "We need to focus on those things that are imminent right now and deal with the other issue* over the longer term." Roberts said The Democratic governor has been having meetings with various lawmakers and interest groups to forge a consensus on how to pay for the rationing program Ideas being considered include an income tax surcharge, a cigarette tax increase, a special tax on health i are providers and a boost in beer and wine taxes So far there's been no agreement on any funding mechanism. Roberts said. "We hope that within the next 10 to 12 davs we'll tie able to talk publicly about where we am,'' Roberts said One of the players in the behind-the s( enes talks is the Oregon Medical Asso ciation. representing the state's doctors. James Carlson, a lobbyist for the OMA. said the group hopes the discussion over how — or whether — to pay for the health plan will he handled separately and not become part of the overall tax reform debate going on in the legislature. The House Revenue Committee is to begin work in the coming week on try ing to fashion come sort of tax plan to send to voters But there's no guarantee that the Legislature will agree to send anything to the ballot in November or anytime else Carlson said the OMA is worried that the health plan funding issue might become mired in a dead-end discussion of tax reform. "There is no good reason why the Uig isloture can't put together a funding package for the health plan." Carlson said "There is widespread public sup port for this The only ingredient that's missing right now is the political will to do it.” Walden said House Republicans haven't decided yet whether to tackle health plan funding as a separate issue or as part of the broader tax overhaul dis cussion. For her part, the governor said she just wants lawmakers to set aside SH5 million for the program before adjourning and that she's not that particular about how they go atKiut doing it. "Regardless of whether something goes on the ballot or something does not go on the ballot, we are looking at the options that will fund the Oregon health plan under either one of those scenarios." Roberts said. Holy melanoma! Look at changes on moles (AP) — Despite rainy spring weather, the sun will reappear in Oregon, and l)r Neil Swanson wants people to l*> prepared. The first thing to do before applying suntan lotion is check moles for changes. Early detection of malignant melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — can mean a 05 percent chance of cure, said Swanson, director of skin surgery at Oregon Health Sci ences University in Portland Failure to catch the disease liefore it penetrates deeper into the skin and spreads into other body systems means almost cer tain death, he said People worldwide have con tracted the disease in ini reasing numbers during the past 40 years, he said, noting the rate ties doubled during the past decade alone. Swanson blames depletion of the earth's ozone layer and over exposure to the sun for the rapid increase in malignant melanomas. About 30.000 people each year are diagnosed with the dis ease in tile United States, and at least 0,000 people die each year, according to the American Can cer Society. However. 95 percent of the more than BOO.OOO cases of skin cancer diagnosed nationally each year are less dangerous forms of the disease Basal cell and squamous cell earners attat k the outer layers of skin but seldom spread to other parts of the body or result in death In addition to avoiding over exposure to the sun. Swanson advises against use of sunlamps or tanning machines. "Besides the health risk, the effect of sunbathing or other deep tanning is to destroy the skin." Swanson said ''People who insist on trying to maintain a deep tan will end up looking like prunes " To help prevent skin cancer, doctors recommend the "A-B-C D" check of moles Most normal moles appear round or oval and have sharply defined borders. They can Ihj either flat or raised and appear evenly colored, usually tan. brown or black By contrast, potentially malig nant moles develop • Asymmetry. The mole doesn't match in shape or appearance from one side to the other • Border irregularity. The edges of the mole appear notched, ragged or blurred. •Color variation Pigmenta tion is uneven and may include a range of colors such as tan, brown, black, red, white or blue black. •Diameter. The mole is larger than six millimeters (about the diameter of a pencil eraser) or suddenly begins to grow and change. Additional warning signs of malignant melanoma include moles that bleed, itch or develop a crusty surface, said Eugene dermatologist Cynthia Dreyer. Bone donor gives card to patient ROSEBURG (AF) — Boh Heaton got a birthday card from a woman he never met this year — the woman who saved his life. Heaton received the woman's bone marrow in a transplant operation two years ago at Seattle's Swedish Hospital. Heaton hud been diag nosed with chronic myel ogenous leukemia, a can cer that would have killed him unless a donor was found. DO THE HAPPY SUMMER DANCE 8ILLABONG • RUSTY • G&S • WAVE RAVE QUIKSILVER • MCD ■ NO BILLY NO GET HAPPY WITH COOL CLOTHES! BOARDSPORTS 1601 "D“ W 7th Ave 484-2588 The COATCfltPOIMIRY documentary Screening and Analysis ot Work by Contemporary Film and Vtdcomakers I 410-510 June 21-July 16 10:30-1220 MUWH 3 Credits CRN 42760 •IN WIMngham Call >46-1977 for more information School of Journalism and Comsmcntcattan Please Recycle This Paper