Portland Observer, May 11, 1963 Section I Page 5 D.C. bans racist acts Washington Hot Line by Congressman Ron Wyden W A S H IN G T O N . D .C . — O regon D e m o cratic C o n g re n m a n R on Wyden has introduced legislation he says w ill help trim health care coats and p ro m o te "re s p o n s ib le and effective*' competition in the health care field by encouraging develop­ ment o f a new, health care financing alternative. Under this financing alternative, called the P re fe rre d P ro vid er a rra n g em en t, doctors and o ther providers agree to provide services for a set fee in return for being listed as "preferred providers." Consumers who participate in the preferred provider arrangement are free to obtain their health care from whomever or wherever they choose. I f they elect to receive the care from those on the list o f "preferred pro­ viders,” however, they will receive a Latin American economies discount or some o ther fin a n c ia l advantage. A lth o u g h many P re fe rre d P ro ­ vider Organizations (P P O s) already have grown up around the country, Wyden said they are discouraged in many areas by discrim inatory state laws and regulations. For example, the Oregon D em o­ crat said, some states have laws w hich p ro h ib it insurers fro m varyin g the am ou n t o f paym ent made am ong providers o f services — an essential part o f preferred pro­ vider arrangements. O th e r states p ro h ib it insurers from influencing a covered patient's choice o f physician or other p ro ­ vider, he said. W yden's b ill would pro hib it en­ fo rcem ent o f such law s, thus clearing the way for fu rth er devel­ opment o f the PPO alternative, the (Continued fro m page I column 6) ticks may be graphically measured as hard-pressed governments raid dwindling national reserves to meet their scheduled debt payments. Most countries have tackled the dual problems of lower export earn­ ings and a growing external debt by devaluing their currency. The aim is to reduce the ability to import, while domestically produced goods are made cheaper and thus more attrac­ tive to foreign buyers. Unfortunate­ ly, higher prices and galloping in­ flation often follow. Inflation, of course, is not new in Latin America. W hat is new is its widespread nature and greater mag­ nitude. Overall consumer prices soared to an all time high of 80 per­ cent last year, with national infla­ tion rates reaching 200 percent in Argentina and 100 percent in Mexico Oregon Congressman said. His bill, however, does not dictate to local comm unities the fo rm that p re fe rre d p ro v id e r arrang em en ts may take, or the conditions under which they m ay be established, he said. " I n this time o f escalating health care costs, the last thing Congress wants to do is discourage develop­ ment o f in n o v a tiv e , co m p e titiv e health care financing arrangements o f this sort.” Wyden said. " W h a t we w ant to do — and w hat my b ill does — is rem ove impedim ents which have a ch illing effect on development o f PPOs and other creative health care financing alternatives so that they can develop to their full potential." W yd en , w ho last year au th ored prospective paym ent legislation to re fo rm the w ay hospitals are re ­ im bursed by M e d ic a re , said the PPO concept is one that adds up for consumers and providers alike. " T h e consumer wins because he or she can get health care at reduced costs, w ith o u t being locked in to specific providers o f care. Hospitals, physicians and other providers win because they are guaranteed a stable source o f patients and prompt, full payment that helps assure a steady cash flo w ." In people term s, this b ill w ould mean coverage fo r all o f those 161,500 O regonians who are u n ­ employed, uninsured and who have exhausted their benefits w ithin the last two years. Because there is no accurate tally o f how many o f the nearly 200,000 unemployed Oregonians are without any form o f insurance, it is impos­ sible to pinpoint a specific number who would be impacted by this bill. It is safe to say, however, that thou­ sands will. This b ill is not a perfect solution, and it could use some a lte ra tio n . The bottom line, however, is to get the best package possible w ith adequate fu n d in g fo r e ffic ie n t ad m in is tra tio n o f the program — and as soon as possible. Oregonians have my commitment to w ork to ensure that w hatever is adopted will do the best possible job o f meeting their needs, and in the shortest time possible. Congress cannot a ffo rd to tolerate the adm inistration’s failure to develop a re lie f plan when A m erican s are being forced to neglect medical care u n til a crisis brings them to a hospital emergency ro o m . I intend to help see th at it docs not. It is now illeg al in W ash in g to n , D .C ., for groups to deface property with racial and religious epithets or to display swastikas or w ear K ian hoods in public. The new law. signed last week by D avid A . C la rk e , chairm an o f the C ity C o u n c il, provides fo r the punishment o f groups, such as the K ian or N a zis , w hich a tte m p t to in tim id ate people because o f their race or religion. Although the " A n ti-In tim id a tio n and Defacing o f Public or Private P ro p erty C rim in a l P en a lly Act o f 1 9 8 2 " was passed by the C ity Council, it is subject to congression al review because W a s h in g to n , D .C ., is not a state. "B ih ind in i b l i m in t h i n ilw iy s o th ir i b l i m m ." C h in iti proverb tit P u t th e touch o n u s for a fr e e tr ip to H aw aii. and Brazil. Regardless o f their ideologies, Latin American governments have adopted severe austerity measures in response. The poor end up paying the most. Austerity spells out less government spending in job creation or subsidies. M oreover, unemploy­ ment is the primary mechanism by which inflation is fought. There are between 26 and 27 million unemployed workers south of the border today. In addition, underemployment plagues about 23 of every 100 workers. Hence country folk, sure that things must be better in the cities, migrate to urban areas — including many in the United States. Ever- larger pools o f the unemployed are thus concentrated in towns and major metropolitan areas, waiting for something to change and ready to grab any opportunity to alter their lot. Latin America is no longer a region of peasants, and the patterns which govern its mass behavior are no longer predictable. One certainty in this uncertain social universe is that the life of the poor has worsened. Today the poor­ est 40 percent o f Latin America's people, according to a U N study, enjoy 5.4 percent o f national in­ come — less than in I960 — while the richest 10 percent has consis­ tently gained in its share, from 46.6 percent in I960 to 47.3 percent in 1982. Enforced reduction of salaries for working people has also become a major trend. This policy, like cur­ rency devaluation, aims at reducing consumption while improving the competitive edge o f Latin American products in the world market through a decline in costs. In sum, the region is caught in a vicious cycle of debt-accumulation and belt-tightening, which fuels conflicts between repressive govern­ ments and restless populations. Observes Susan Kaufman Purcell, director o f the Latin American Project of the Council on Foreign Relations, " I f the current economic crisis continues, austerity may have politically costly implications." Indeed, the preconditions for even more widespread conflict are now present almost everywhere in the hemisphere. For as austerity pro­ grams bring on social discontent, Latin American military dictator­ ships rely ever more on an institu­ tionalized violence that knows no boundaries, and finds it victims in every social class and institution, including the Church. the trip are tickets via United Airlines and $1,000 cash > 3rd prize. Hollywixrd and sunny .« Southern California await you it you win ’ third prize The vacation package- includes four days and three nights tor tour at the Sheraton Universa Hotel, tickets via United Airlines, a VIP tour of Enter our Day & Night Teller Sweepstakes. May 16-27. 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