S eptember 08, 1993 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age A?
r
J
À
.. - T
(The 'Purtlaxih (©bsertter
p
e
/'
p e c
s
t
i
V e s
Can Politicians Reform Health Care In America?
It was th is past sp rin g that I w rote
a th re e -p a rt series here, "T h e C o lo r o f
H e a lth ” . T h e fa r -ra n g in g to p ic s
ranged fro m apprehensions over a
huge federally -funded research project
to study a possible “ C rim e/G ene”
connection am ong A fric a n A m e ri
cans (3 /1 0 /9 3 ) to new in itia tiv e s for
ture We are being forced to a fr ig h t
tria l nations—and on the other hand,
w h ile U S . life expectancy has h it a
new h ig h o f 75.5 years, th is has
b rought about serious problem s o f
m a in ta in in g wellness in the longer
"g o ld e n ” years A lo t o f special con
cerns in fu n d in g the increased m e d i
la rg e -s c a le p r o
g ra m s to screen
b la ck c h ild re n fo r
‘ b e h a v io ra l p ro b
cal needs by both federal and private
p ro v id e rs have
a ris e n In b e
tween. a disaster
mode.
As recently
as A ugust 25 I
used this colum n
to b rin g us up to
date on the “ O r
le m s ’ a n d tr e a t
th e m w ith drugs (3 /
24/93).
T h e re has
been no lessening
o f these assaults and we w ill continue
to keep you advised However, as you
are qu ite aware, the status o f a ll our
h e a lth -fro m infants to the aged--is a
m a tte r o f o v e r-rid in g concern to the
n a tio n and a m a jo r to p ic in the media.
W e fin d ourselves d istra u g h t that
A m e rica has the most disgraceful rate
o f in fa n t m o rta lity am ong, the indus
egon H ealth Plan” , as disa p po in tin g
an exercise as that may have been to
you 1 reported on the continued lack
o f cla rity and d ire ctio n in the p la n
n in g and, worst o f a ll, absolutely no
consensus on the method o f fu n d in g
However, the local and state uncer
tainties pale in to in sig n ifica n ce w hen
we consider the chaotic national p ic-
‘ th in k - a n d - g r o w - r ic h ’ schem es,
though m a il order and group p ro v id
ers arc h e lp in g in some cost-cutting
There must be a “ A N ational
A ssociation o f S enior B lue Cross
Executives” , considering the em erg
in g national pattern o f th e ir super
compensation and perks. The m il
lio n -d o lla r salaries o f m any are qua
druple the pay o f managers in indus
try w ith comparable duties. O f course,
th is is the ‘ tip o f the iceberg’ in the
Managed C are’ fie ld ; the media likes
to get attention fo r its alleged revela
tions by using highly-recognizable
names lik e “ B lue Cross” . There are
m any s im ila r providers w ith tickets
on this health care gravy tra in .
part o f th e ir profits? “ M e th in ks thou
doth protest too m uch” . Just lately, we
fin d that the b ig medical testing labs
have been rip p in g o fT b illio n s in over
charges, unnecessary tests (w ith con
nivance), and fo r services not per
formed. V ic tim iz e d have been gov
ernm ent program s lik e M edicare,
M edicaid, Veterans and in ad d ition ,
w as decades in d e v e lo p in g and,
lik e the " d e f ic it ” debacle, re p o rte d
b y m edia, d e crie d by p o litic ia n s
and s u ffe re d b y the s ic k and d is
tics?
A neighbor o f m ine has re ite r ab le d B u t, lik e the e c o n o m ic mess,
ated an e a rlie r caustic co m p la in t, “ 1 those in ch a rg e o f o u r so cia l sys
d id n ’ t v o te fo r H illa r y R o d m a n tem s k n e w f u ll w e ll th a t they th e m
C lin to n fo r ’ H ealth C z a r’ o r any other selves w e re p a rt o f the p ro b le m —a
responsible position in the new ad m a jo r p a rt! A n d w e need lo o k no
m in is tra tio n , and now m y w orst fears fu rth e r th a n th a t lita n y o f a ccu sa
are realized. A fte r that g litz y in tro tio n s and cro ss charges a m o n g the
d uction as the most know ledgeable h e a lth p ro v id e rs (m o st o f w h o m
and com petent health care specialist to o k th e H ip p o c ra tic O a th ). T h e
to emerge on the A m e rica n scene, we S a vin g s and L o a n ra sca ls w e re
fin d ourselves awash in absolute con a m a te u rs
The m a jo r drug companies have
fusion w ith o u t a clue as to how to
solve a problem o f th is m agnitude made unconscionable p ro fits w ith
Since we d id n ’ t elect her, who do we th e ir prices allegedly raised to cover
developm ent and testing, but actually
hold responsible?”
W h o indeed? F irs t, I th in k w e to finance m arketing, wars, acquisi
s h o u ld a ll concede th a t it was n a ive tions and enhancement o f the bottom
o f these rip offs that have escalated
mess we were to ld “ H illa ry ” was go
in g to solve. There is the co llu sio n
between the in d u stry giants in lens
m a n ufacturing and local dispensers
o f contact lenses: occultists, et. The
idea is to w ith hold prescription in fo r
m ation fro m the m a il order firm s so
that prices can be m aintained at an
a rtific ia l level. I could go on fo r page
after page but you get the idea. I
and p re p o s te ro u s fo r a n y o f us to
e xp e ct th a t a n a tio n a l\s o c ia l p ro b
lem o f th is m a g n itu d e to he s o lve d
o v e rn ig h t o r in one y e a r o r in even
one a d m in is tra tio n T h e s itu a tio n
health cost beyond the ca p a b ility o f so
m any beyond m aintenance o f a de
cent q u a lity o f life ? C ould it be that
the a dvertising revenues fro m the
health industry' constitute a m ajor
the A m erican M e dical Association in
health care re fo rm - o r other profes
sional associations, manufacturers.
The yearly take could be a “ tr illio n ” .
en in g question: Was there ever a
•C lin to n Health Plan ? or ju st p o li
line. A n d we have ju s t noted that
these m a jo r p o litic a l co n trib u to rs w i ll
not be burdened by police controls.
M a n y local pharm acists across the
country should not be le ft out o f these
Speaking o f the “ m edia” , how is
it they are ju s t now discovering many
hospitals, clin ic s and consumers.
T h a t is ju s t the be g inn in g o f the
haven’ t mentioned the b lo c k in g o f
Legal Aid Series 17: Proof Needed For Government Benefit Programs
F or those w h o need it, the gov
ernm ent can provide a h e lping hand
th ro u g h w elfare program s. B ut that
hand keeps a tig h t g rip on its cash and
alm ost always asks fo r p ro o f you
q u a lify.
W henever you apply fo r p u b lic
assistance such as food stamps, em er
gency assistance, A id to Fam ilies w ith
Dependent C h ild re n (A D C ) o r other
w elfare programs. A d u lt and F a m ily
Services (A F S ) w ill ask fo r v e rific a
tio n . T h is ju s t means p ro o f AFS w ill
ask you to prove basic facts lik e w here
yo u r c h ild was b o m , where you liv e
and how you pay rent Y ou must
prove to AFS you qualify fo r these
program s, but sometimes p ro o f you
g ive fo r one program could cover
another For example, v e rific a tio n for
A D C may also w o rk fo r food stamps
A FS has the fin a l say on w hat p ro o f is
required, but they must be reasonable
about it. A n d i f you can’ t get the
v e rific a tio n yourself, they must help
you get it.
T o receive A D C , you must p ro
vid e p ro o f o f your id e n tity , address,
c itize n sh ip or a lie n status and Social
Security num ber o r a p p lica tio n fo r
one. Y o u must also show AFS p ro o f
o fy o u r income, such as wage stubs, as
w e ll as in fo rm a tio n about assets, lik e
Social Security card o ra w ritte n state
m ent fro m you o r someone y ou know .
A n o th e r way is through a c o lla t
bank accounts, inheritance, cars o r
w o rk e r’ s compensation benefits For
your kids, you must prove th e ir ages
and school attendance, and that y o u ’ re
related to o r ta kin g care o f them AFS
may also seek in fo rm a tio n about the
eral contact, w h ic h is when you get a
frie n d , neighbor o r fa m ily member to
v e rity som ething fo r y ou. Sometimes
they can go to AFS, o r your w o rke r
can ta lk to them over the phone. I t ’ s
usually best, though, to have that
person provide p ro o f in a w ritte n
statement. T h is is called an a ffid a vit.
father o r fathers, to seek c h ild sup
port. B u t you can be excused from this
requirem ent i f y o u ’ re afraid o f the
father
T o get food stamps, you have to
In fo rm a tio n given in an a ffid a v it must
be firsthand and should include things
lik e yo u r name and the name o f the
person g iv in g the statement, how long
that person has kn o w n you and the
prove y our identity . m a ilin g address,
alien status or citizenship. Social Se
c u rity number, income, u tility costs
and m edical expenses i f you w ant to
c la im them as a deduction I f you lost
actual in fo rm a tio n sought For e x
ample, your neighbor could w rite that
he o r she has kn o w n you 10 years and
has never seen the father v is it your
c h ild re n . A ffid a v its can be h a n d w rit
ten o r typed, but must always be nota
rized by a notary p ublic, that you have
sw orn under oath the facts in the
your jo b o r got your wages cut. you
must show you had good cause for
doing so F or expedited or emergency
food stamps, y ou only need to provide
p ro o f o f your identity . AFS cannot
hold these up i f you ca n ’ t provide
p ro o f o f your id e n tity . AFS cannot
hold these up i f you can’ t provide
other in fo rm a tio n But you must pro
vide the other required in fo rm a tio n
before th e y’ ll give you next m o n th 's
affidav it arc true, and that the notary
p u b lic has signed and put a seal on the
a ffid a v it M a n y banks have notary
publics, o r you can get it done at
M u ltn o m a h County Legal A id , where
you can also pick up an affidav it form .
I f you can’ t p rovide w ritte n p ro o f
o f yo u r liv in g situation, AFS may
v e rify it by v is itin g yo u r home. I f the
food stamps
There are several ways you can
v e rify in fo rm a tio n fo r AFS. The firs t
is called documentary , w h ic h means
w ritte n p ro o f It can include a d riv e r’ s
license, rent receipt, b irth certificate,
Broadway Bridge Closure
WÌfe
Tropicana
Restaurant
Serving Breakfast, Lunch 4 Dinner
Specializing in Barbeque Ribs 4 Beef
Tues Thus 10 00 AM - 6:00 PM
Fri 4 Sat. 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
3217 N Williams Avenue
S ubscribe !
tinnì) (©fcxntm*
(Hlje iJ P u rth u tii (D b s c x U c r
' (USPS 959-000)
OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established in 1970 by Alfred L. Hondorson
•
■
•’
T he P ortland
O bserver can be sent
)
DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME
Joyce Washington
Publisher
FOR ONLY
$30.00
P lease
I »
The PORTLAND OBSERVER Is located at
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 972)1
503-200-0033 • Fax 200-0015
Tho Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts
and photographs should be clearly labeled and will bo roturnod II
accompanied by a self addrossed envelope. All created design display ads
become the sole property of the newspaper and can not be used In other
publications or personal usage, without the written oynsent of the general
manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. ©
1993 THE’ PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED,
REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS
i
Address
PROHIBITED.
t
Subscrlptlons:$30.00 per year.
»
/ J
"
»
Tho Portland Obsorver-Oregon’s Oldest African-American Publlcallon-
Is a member of Ihe National Newspaper Association-Founded In 1005,
and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers,
Inc., Now York, NY. and The Wost Coast Black Publishers Association •
i
Serving Portland and Vancouver
i
1
1
rip-code
¡
T hank Y ou F or R eading
T he P ortland O bserver
d o n 't have one, you could use a l i
brary card, m a il received at that ad
dress, u tility b ills , rent receipts, your
d riv e r’ s license, your voter registra
tio n card, school records o r a state
y o u r in co m e , i f yo u have a n y sav
ings o r o th e r money , i f yo u have
p ro p e rty , am o n g o ther th in g s P ro v
in g y o u r in co m e can be done b y
sh o w in g p a y stubs, s e lf-e m p lo y
ment records, a statem ent fro m y o u r
e m p lo ye rs, w a g e re co rd s, u n io n
records. Y o u can p ro v e y o u have
no incom e by p ro v id in g u n p a id b ills
o r statem ents fro m p e o p le w h o
loaned yo u m o n e y fo r liv in g e x
penses
I f asked to v e rify yo u r assets, you
can use bank books o r statements, tax
returns, m ortgage statements, credit
union records, credit applications o r a
car title To show your c h ild ’ s other
j
W elfare R ights H o tlin e at 241 -4111.
M u ltn o m a h C ounty Legal A id
Service provides legal advice and rep
resentation to low -incom e people liv
in g in M u ltn o m a h C ounty having
w elfare problems. Appointm ents may
be made by c a llin g our N o rth /N o rth -
east C o m m u n ity L aw O ffice (on the
P ortland C o m m u n ity College Cas
cade Campus) at 295-9494.
In a d dition to the $8.4 m illio n
n ancially. we have reached a po in t
where i t ’ s not a question o f i f we break
ground on the C enter fo r S e lf E n
m illio n in Oregon L o tte ry funds The
co n trib u tio n put the organization over
the ha lfw a y m ark in ra isin g money to
b u ild a co m m u n ity center in N o rth
Portland.
“ T h is is an in cre d ib le vote o f
confidence fro m the legislature,” said
Ray Leary, S E I’ s dire cto r o f develop
ment. “ Law m akers listened and re
fo r S elf Enhancem ent O th e r recent
c o n trib u to rs in c lu d e :
• N ordstrom : $25,000
• N orthw est N atural Gas: $20,000
• B oyd’ s Coffee: $15,000
• West One B ank: $10,000
These groups jo in a broad-based
assembly o f organizations that sup
port SETs capital cam paign, in c lu d
N ortheast Portland schools. The fo
cus o f the SEI program is to help
sponded to the hundreds o f letters and
phone ca lls from SEI supporters.”
in g U. S Bancorp, the C hiles Founda
tion, the W cssinger Foundation. Stan
dard Insurance. First Interstate Bank,
students im prove th e ir grades, atten
dance and self-esteem, as w e ll as iden
tify and create career opportunities.
Bank o f A m erica and Sisters o f P ro vi
dence. The C ity o f P ortland has do
nated the use o f land at U nthank Park,
valued at $750,000.
SEI cu rre n tly senes 700 students,
grades 2-12, each year; the new Cen
ter fo r S e lf Enhancement w ill trip le
that capacity.
hancement, but w hen.”
S E I’ s capital campaign has raised
more than $4.2 m illio n fo r the Center
needed to b u ild the center, the cam
paign is ra isin g $7.5 m illio n required
to operate it fo r the firs t five years.
L o ca te d in N o rth e a st P o rtla n d ’ s
U n th a n k Park, the Center w ill in
clude classrooms, com puter labs, a
lib ra ry, a health resource center and a
p e rfo rm in g arts center. SEI hopes to
open the Center in 1994.
Founded in 1981, SEI operates
in partnership w ith Portland P ublic
Schools on the campuses o f seven
o f D irectors, has appeared in O f f
Broadway plays in c lu d in g "M a m a , I
W an, to S in g " and cu rre n tly w orks as
a substance abuse and A ID S educa
tio n counselor in New Y o rk C ity ’ s
homeless shelters.
The show features clip s from v id
eos released by G M A D w h ich target
a safe sex message to the black gay
com m unity and explore the d iffic u l
ties fo r black men to “ come o u t" gay
in a society that is both hom ophobic
and racist Says Parrish, “ A lot o f
people talk about the issues o f gay
people as what goes on in the bedroom,
but our issues reach far deeper We try
to focus on issues o f em powerm ent .”
Fulani, New man and Parrish also
ta lk about the relationship between
A fric a n A m erican gay people to the
m ostly w h ite movement, as w e ll as
the fa ilu re o f many elected o ffic ia ls
and leaders in the A frica n A m erican
co m m u n ity to address the issues o f
black gay people.
F u la n i! is seen every week on
p u b lic access cable in 27 c itie s
throughout the U nited States.
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR, 972108
j
I
i
* + .• * • * •< **•*•, * * - » f^ * *
ment must contai n a diagnosis, a prog
nosis (how long yo u ’ ll be disabled),
test results, medical records o r other
evidence or your disability Legal aid
has the form s fo r your doctor to com
plete
Remember, your w orker has to
be reasonable in accepting v e rific a
tio n fro m you and must get it i f you
ca n ’ t do it yourself. I f you have ques
tions o r problems, call Legal A id ’ s
In last m o n th ’ s race fo r Oregon
L o tte ry dollars, P o rtla n d 's in n e r-city
c h ild re n were clear w inners. S e lf
Enhancem ent (SE1), a n a tio n a lly-
recognized Portland program serv
in g a t-ris k youth, was awarded $1.2
O n Tuesday, September 7 on
1
1
'
city, -------------
Stato
the parent, a frie n d o r relative.
Y o u may be asked to prove some
th in g sim ple, lik e where you live. To
do this, the best th in g to show is a
rental agreement, o r lease. I f you
channel 33 at 5:30pm and Sunday,
September 12 on channel 11 a, 5:30ptn
D r Lenora B F ulani, tw o -tim e Presi
d e n tia l candidate and national c h a ir
person o f the New A llia n c e Party,
inte rvie w s K u rt Parrish, fro m Gay
M en o f A fric a n Descent (G M A D ).
G M A D is a seven year o ld organiza
tio n interested in the health, educa
tio n and p o litic a l em pow erm ent o f
black gay men. H a ilin g from Bedford
Stuyvesant, B ro o klyn . M r Parrish, in
addition to being on the G M A D Board
!
”
the kids, use custody papers, divorce
papers, o r a le tte r o r statement from
certificate, hospital records, a pass
port, an alien registration card, an
im m ig ra tio n record o r a statement
fro m a frie n d o r relative w ho has
Show Takes A Look At Black-Gay Relations
t
I
I
Namo _______________I
r
tifica te , you can use m edical or hospi
tal b irth records, a baptism al c e rtifi
cate, adoption papers, a fam ily bible,
a b irth d a y o r baby book, a b irth an
nouncem ent fro m a newspaper or
statements fro m friends o r relative
who knew you when yo u r c h ild was
b o rn . T o prove y o u ’ re the caretaker o f
legal alien, however, can be d iffic u lt,
even i f yo u ’ve liv e d here a ll your life.
B u t you can prove th is th ro u g h a b irth
parent is absent fro m the home, use
divorce papers, a re stra in in g order
fro m the court, a statement fro m the
absent parent, m ail received at the
absent pa re n t’ s new address, state
ments fro m friends, relatives o r neigh
bors o r a statement from the person
the absent parent lives w ith . I f receiv
in g pu b lic assistance due to a d isa b il
ity , you must provide a statement
fro m a doctor, osteopath, psychiatrist
o r psychologist The d o cto r’ s state
/ ’a/fa/rs/
T he P ortland O bserver :
PO B ox 3 1 3 7 ,
,
P ortland , O regon 9 7 2 0 0 |
Oregon.
'
j
I
J
to :.
know n you a ll your life.
E ven a fte r p ro v id in g a ll th is
in fo rm a tio n , y o u m a y s till be asked
fo r m ore. A F S can seek a ll k in d s o f
fa cts a b o u t yo u T h e y m u s t kn o w
capital cam paign
“ T hiscam paign hasbeen all about
m om entum ,’’ Leary continued “ F i-
. I
Box 3137, Portland, OR 97200. Second class postage paid at Portland
I
M ail
need to prove yo u ’ re related to your
ch ild re n and d o n 't have a b irth cer
The State o f O regon’ s co m m itm e n t is
the largest sin g lcco n ti ibution to S E l’ s
J
S ubscriptions
POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Portland Observer, P.O.
.
fill out ,
MONEY ORDER,
and
i
1
ENCLOSE CHECK OR
I
Deadline for all submitted materials:
Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm—Ads: Tuesday, noon
J
I
J
PER |
YEAR.
ment fro m yo u r la n d lo rd o r neighbor.
I f you have none o f these, you can use
a collateral contact o r ask fo r a home
visit. S h o w in g yo u ’ reaU .S . citize n o r
Oregon Lottery Funds Push Self Enhancement, Inc.
Capital Campaign Over The Halfway Mark
503/281-8696
M u ltn o m a h C ounty Transporta be rerouted, please contact T ri-M e t
tio n D iv is io n announces the closure c u s to m e r s e rv ic e s at 2 3 8 -R ID E
o f the Broadway B ridge. The bridge (7433). R iver tra ffic w ill not be af
w ill be closed to a ll ve h icu la r, pedes fected by the bridge closure
The p ublic is advised to use a lte r
tria n , and bicycle tra ffic on Sunday,
September 12, 1993, between 7am nate routes th is period M u ltn o m a h
and 5pm. M u ltn o m a h C ounty Tra n s C ounty is u n dertaking th is action to
p o rta tio n D iv is io n , B ridges Section assure the safety o f the tra v e lin g pub
w ill be undertaking repairs and m a in lic and regrets any tem porary in co n
tenance o f the bridge.
venience th is may cause
T ri-M e t service w ill necessarily
v is it is fo r food stamps, you must be
n o tifie d in advance. Y o u can refuse
any unscheduled visits, and th is ca n ’ t
be used as reason to deny benefits, but
it may delay them. A n AFS w o rke r
cannot go thro u g h yo u r closets o r
drawers w ith o u t your perm ission d u r
ing one o f these visits
A FS accepts va rio u s types o f
p ro o f to v e rify any num ber o f things
for people seeking w elfare. I f you
* *