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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1993)
S eptember 2 2 , 1993 » T ue P ortland O bserver PAC,E A2 _ J XTTFje '¡¡JvrrHanfr (©heeruer ..«jiU. e n / r s c S e t i p k Further Alert On Health Care And Insurance Last week we focused on the and Wellness Act (effective Novem terrible disarra) at the national level, ber 4, 1993).” Requires health insur let us see i f state and local healthcare ance polices that cover hospital, medi initiatives arc more prom ising in cal or surgical expenses to provide terms o f structure and commitment reimbursement for pelvic exams and A good place to begin w ould be among pap smear exams Schedule o f fre the mishmash o f bills that passed or quency o f exam eligible for reim failed during the 1993 Oregon Legis bursement required to be submitted to lative Assembly and authorized by the Director o f the Senate B ill Department o f In 5530 im p le surance and F i S en ate B ill mented the O r nance (DIF) 5530 egon Health Plan The legisla PiTO/feSSGT (effective July 1, ture is to be com O r e g o n Mckintoy 1993) and funded mended for pas H ealth P lan Burt M edicaid expan sage o f House B ill sion to 100 per 2971 w hich re cent o f Oregonians w ith incomes be quires health insurance coverage for low the federal poverty level A d di mammography (effective November tionally , it prescribed the duties o f the 4, 1993). This b ill requires that any O ffice o f Health Plan Adm inistrator health insurance policy or contract Senate B ill 5535, alsoefiective July 2, that cov ers hospital, medical or surgi form ally established such an office cal expenses provide reimbursement Two b ills in particular passed due to for mammography. Excludes poli s ig n ific a n t e ffo rt on the part o f cies that are lim ited to accident cov women's groups and women legisla erage. Coverage is provided accord tors. Senate B ill 905 "W omen’sHealth ing to schedule set forth in Oregon Health Plan, Chapter 836, Oregon Laws 1989 This requirement w ill apply to all policies issued after date o f the Act, or upon renewal o f the existing policy or contract. The passage ofH ouse B ill 3636 should not escape o u r notice fo r it addresses a nationw ide problem that is causing significant health and economic losses to w o rk in g men and wom en It mandates a “ N o tice to insured o f group health insurance cancellation/tennination o f group health p o lic y (E ffe ctive N ovem ber 4, 1993).“ High among the vicious practices bci ng perpetrated upon the public by many less-than- ethical corporations is that o f closing down one company and rigging a dummy sale to a success or firm Unsuspecting health policy holders do not realize that maintenance o f their precious coverage depends upon a Tim ely Notice that they wish to maintain the policy. The company , in collusion w ith the insurer, bets that the victim w ill not have read or re fine print o f the original docum cnt- which may have been issued years earlier (better reread yours). The loss is horrendous as corporate mergers run rampant. Oregon’s timely b ill, "Notice to insured o f group health cancellation’, requires group health insurer to no tify insured o f canccllation/termina- tion o f policy. Notification must be mailed w ith in ten w orking days after the date o f policy termination N o tifi cation must include inform ation as to rights o f continuation or conversion provided under state and federal law. Insurers failure to provide such notice mandates continued full-force cover age and waiver o f premiums Insured right to continuation or conversion begins on last date the policy holder, D IF or BO LI receive notice o f term i nation. 1 believe that this series o f Ob server articles has prov ided the read ers w ith a tim ely ‘alert’ as to the state o f health care in the country. Never theless I remind vou o f that old adage Team Kick-O ff To Keep W estside Traffic Moving A T ri-M e t transportation fa ir a t P ioneer C o u rth o u se Square helped introduce T E A M (T ra ffic Easing and Avoidance M easures) e ffo rts to help keep tra ffic m oving d u rin g W estside M A X and h ig h w ay construction. Measures range from new bus routes and planned Park & R ide lots, to expanded carpool m atching capabilities and incentives. T ri-M e t hopes more com m uters use a lte r native form s o f tran spo rtatio n and is encouraging m ore employees to o ffe r discounted tra n s it passes. T E A M members are helping add special bypass lanes fo r carpools and buses at W estside highw ay ramps and im p ro vin g tra ffic signal coordination so tra ffic flo w s more sm oothly. The Bikes on T ri-M e t program is also expanding to 45 more bus routes this fa ll, and bike lockers are available at several lo cations. T E A M partners include Oregon Department o fT ransportation, Metro. Washington and M ultnom ah coun ties. the cities o f Portland. Beaverton and Hillsboro, and Tri-M et. “ We’d like to challenge every one to help keep the metropolitan arealivableby making a commitment to alternative transportation. ” said Bob Post, Deputy General Manager. “ Even i f you c a n ’ t c o m m it to carpooling or rid ing the bus every’ day, try it once or three day s a week. O r try combi ning errands so you don’t have to take three trips on a Satur day.” Two new express bus routes began easing traffic on the Sunset Highway this month: • South Beaverton Express; Weekday rush-hourbuses run between the M urra yhill area and downtown Portland, w ith non-stop sen ice be tween the Progress Park & Ride at Highway 217 & Schools Ferry Road and downtown Portland. The Park & Ride opens later this fall, as with other route names, the “ X " signifies these buses prov ide faster sen ice by making few er stops downtown. • 94X -W alker Road Express Weekday rush-hour express buses run Governor Spurns Rights Of Homeowners By Vetoing “Historic” Bill “ Governor Roberts showed her omplete disregard for the fights o f omeowners by vetoing HB 2124, , hich allowed homeowners to refuse onsent to “ historic designation” o f heir homes.’’ charged B ill Moshofsky. )regonians In Actions’s Vice Presi- ent for Government Affairs “ The Governor’s veto is a major etback for private property rights, nd a slap in the face to both the House nd Senate who ov envhelmingly ap- rov ed this legislation during the 1993 :gislative session” , he said (The b ill assed the House unanimously and assed the Senate 22 to 7.) Moshofsky explained that this i ll was needed to prevent local gov- mments from designating homes and ther property as “ historic landmarks” ver the owner's objection~The Land Conserv ation Development Com m it tee (LCDC) has been forcing cities and counties do just that. H istoric designations impose costly burdens on landowners w ith out compensation. Landowners can be prohibited from remodeling re placing or removing a dwelling or other building, and they are forced to bear the cost o f oppressive regulatory procedures. Historic designation is not tradi tional zoning--it should not be im posed by compulsion without com pensation to the owners, Moshofsky said I f the public wants a private home to be designated historic’ to serve public purposes, the public should bear the consequences o f such designation. To do otherwise is to “ press p ri- ‘®ife |3ortli«tir (Wserrier »* (USPS 959-G80) OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established In 1970 by Alfred L. Honderson Joyce Washington Publisher vate property into public service w hich makes a mockery o f constitutional protection for private property’’—it forces private owners to bear a ll the burdensandreceivenobenefits, while the pubic receives all the benefits and bears no burdens The vetoed b ill w ould have brought Oregon into conformity w ith the national historic program w hich is completely voluntary and works very well. It makes no sense to force homeow ners into such "presen ration” program s-for such programs to w ork. they should be cooperative and consentual. Oregonians In Action is a state wide. n on profit nonpartisan organi zation seeking land use regulatory reform and protection for the rights o f landowners S ubscribe ! tHl|c ^ l u r i i a i t i i (D b o c tU c r ¡j T he P ortland O bserver i can be sent DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME FOR ONLY $30.00 I J PER | YEAR. P lease The PORTLAND OBSERVER Is tocated at 4 7 4 7 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 972(1 503-280-0033 • Fax 288-0015 Deadline for all submitted materials: Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm—Ads: Tuesday, noon POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Portland Observer, P.O. Box 3137, Portland, OR 97200. Second class postage paid at Portland Oregon. I J fill out , j I ENCLOSE CHECK OR MONEY ORDER, and M ail to : J . I S ubscriptions t i T he P ortland O bserver , PO Box 3137 . , P ortland , O regon 97203 | Tho Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will bo returned II accompanied by a sell addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property ol the newspaper and can not be used In other publications or personal usage, without the written eynsent ol the general managor, unless the client hos purchased the composition ol such ad. © 1993 THE PORTLAND O BSERVER. ALL R IG HTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. I I Name___________ _________ ' II I ---------------- .--------------- 1 Address ---------------------- 1 ofy. State__________________ | Subscrlptlons:$30. OO por year. Tho Portland Obsorver--Oregon’s Oldest Alrlcan-Amerlcan Publlcatlon- Is a member ol the National Newspaper Association-Founded In 1085, and Tho National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., Now York. NY. and The Wost Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver n ip - c o d e __________ g J T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortland O bserver j between S.W. 185th & Walker Road and downtown Portland, via Cedar H ills Park & Ride at Cedar H ills Blvd. and the Sunset Highway. The Park & Ride opens later this fall. A new Park & Ride w i l l also open at Cornell & 158th. sened by Line 88-SW 198th Ave. The improv ements were part o f this fa ll’s 5% service increase, the largest sen ice increase in 12 years Bus and M A X schedules, tickets and monthly passes are available in Tn-M et offices at 4012 S E 17,h Ave.. Pioneer Courthouse Square, Safeway s and most Albertsons stores, and other neighborhood outlets. Celebrate Diversity e V about “ vigilance being the price o f ‘ whatever’ (health included).” The follow ing is an overview o f the 1993 Oregon legislative session from my monthly Associated Oregon Indus tries Journal. “ The Medicaid project w ill fund basic health care for all Oregonians w ith incomes below the federal pov erty level. Funding w ill be prov ided from a m ix o f general fund dollars and an increase in the state cigarette tax. The Health Plan Adm inistrator w ill be appointed by the Governor, and w ill have the responsibility o f merging the existing portions o f the Oregon Health Plan w hile identify ing and developing strategies to com plete the work on the Oregon Health Plan begun in 1989. In addition to its work on the Oregon Health Plan, the Legislature struggles w ith the issues o f insurance reform, provider and service man dates, and changes to the state’ s ap proach to policy planning and re s source allocation Individual service and provider mandates, once thought to be replaced by the Oregon Health Plan benefit package were revisited and expanded. Insurance reforms ordered by the previous legislative assembly were enacted so late in the last biennium, that their resulting impact was not able to be assessed. New reforms such as changes to m ultiple employer wel fare arrangements (M E W A ’ s) were proposed, debated and are scheduled for enactment. Resource allocation, planning and regulation was revisited, result ing in extension to the state’s C e rtifi cate o f Need program Collaborative arrangements between com peting provider systems were debated, re sulting in new legislation that w ill encourage jo in t venture programs between such providers. A pilot pro gram was established to merge w ork ers’ compensation and w orke rs’ health care into a single plan provid ing 24 hour coverage.” Oregon Lottery Transfers Record $43 Million Oregon L ottery o ffic ia ls an nounced that $43,399,636.09 is be ing transferred to the Economic De velopment Fund That is the amount earned by the Lottery during the three- month period ended June 30, the last quarter o f fiscal year 1993. The trans fer is the largest ever made in the Lottery’ s eight-year history. The record-setting proceeds were announced at the monthly Lottery Commission meeting in Bandon on Wednesday, July 28 Accepting a cer emonial check on behalf o f the state o f Oregon were Judy Dcnsomre, Mayor ofBandon; Loren Wiese, Coos County Economic Development D irector and Phil Anderson, dean o f Instruction at Southwestern Oregon Community College. T o d a y’ s transfer b rin g s the Lottery’s total earnings for fiscal year 1993 to $145.6 m illion, the highest y early earnings ever. Since ticket sales began in A p ril 1985, the Lottery has transferred more than $494 m illio n to the Economic Development Fund. Lottery Deputy Director Steve Caputo reported that the recorded earnings were generated by recorded revenue o f more than $431 m illio n during fiscal year 1993 That figure was over 60 percent higher than last year’ s raven, Caputo said. Since A p ril 1985. more than $885 m illio n in prizes has been awarded to Oregon Lottery play ers Over the past eight years more than $494 m illion hasbeen earned for Oregon’s economic dev elopment and job creation in Oregon Fund recipi ents estimate that more than 38,000 jobs have been saved or created through these projects. N a tio n O f Islam The murder o f a head start em ployee, the murder o f T ori (Torez) Carter (a blood “ gang" member), the tria l o f the young men charged w ith the beating o f Reginald Denny in Los Angeles, the controversy over the verdict o f the death for a black man (Gary Graham) in Houston, Texas are results o f effects o f 40-50 m illion black people in America not having, or accepting when they hear it, the knowledge o f themselves and others When Black people were brought here in bondage we were robbed o f our God, religion and culture, stripped mentally and spiritually. The repair ing o f our minds and spirits to a level o f self-respect and decency w ill only come from leadership made and pre pared by God I f the civilized man fails to perform his duty what must be done? I f the civilized man fails to perform his duty God must raise up men and give them guidance for our (the whole planet) salvation. And this salv ation starts on and w ith the down and out Black people o f America The Bible says that God’ s people w ill be afflicted for four hundred years among strangers. There is no other people that fits this description that the Black people in America. As God raised up Moses and Aaron for the children o f Israel he has raised up the most Hon ored Elijah Muhammad and the Hon Louis Farrakahn in our time Div ine leadership is a must! The only teach ing, which resulted in a program, that ever raised thousands o f black people to a level o f self-respect and decency was/is the teachings o f the most Hon ored E lijah Muhammad and the Na tion o f Islam. America has a blessing in its midst. The sooner Black people in A m erica, the governm ent o f America and others serious study the Nation o f Islam and its successes America can become the fostering ground for the kingdom o f God on earth But the road to heeding tm th is so slow that we are losing many lives from murder, disease, drugs and war. So hurry and get the books and tapes o f the m ost H onored E lija h M uham m ad and the Hon. Louis Farrakahn and the 18 study guides We must have a new w orld where freedom, justice and equality are the order o f the day. I believe this new world w ill start in America. “ The 13th and 14th amend ments sentenced the old A m e rica to death and signaled the beginning o f a new one. L eg ally, the death o f old A m e rica came w ith the c iv il w ar. B u t the real death o f old A m e rica could never come u n til the system o f b e lie f it was based upon was destroyed. T hat destruction takes place only w ith the com ing o f M a s ter Fard M uham m ad " M a s te r Fard M uham m ad is the teacher o f M r E lija h M uham m ad. M o re next a r ticle, God w illin g . -YOUR BROTHER ELIJAH X State Urged To Support Plastics Recycling, Oppose Burning Oregon citizens who support re cycling made a strong statement against the plastics industry s plan to burn plastic and avoid recy cling laws. A t a meeting o f the Environmental Q uality Commission in Portland, OSPIRG presented petitions signed by more than 17.0(H) Oregonians The petitions urge the Environm ental Quality Commission to stand firm and not allow the plastics industry to redefine Oregon recycling law to in clude the burning o f plastics. The signatures were collected in just four weeks d u rin g the O S P IR G ’ s PlasticsWatch Campaign Senate B ill 66, passed in 1991. requires plastic packaging to be made w ith recycled plastic or be recy cled at 25 percent by 1995. The American Plastics Council has been putting heavy pressure on the state to change the law to allow an experimental burn ing process, “ py rolysis.” to qualify as recycling. “ The Commission w ill be adopt ing rules to implement the plastics law, and the plastics industry w ill want the Commission to count burn ing plastics as recy cling, "stated Lauri Aunan. OSPIRG Environmental Ad vocate. “ OSPIRG and Oregonians urged the Commission to stand firm on Oregon's recycling law. OSPIRG launched a grassroots campaign this summer to inform c iti zens about this plastics industry threat to recycling. “ The public has been overwhelm ingly supportive,” said Maureen K irk , PlasticsWatch Cam paign Director. “ The public wants to recy cle plastic, and wants to see used plastic packaging used to make new plastic packaging and other plastic products. Unfortunately, the makers and sellers o f v irg in packaging, such as Amoco Chemical Company, have a vested interest in selling more v ir gin plastic, and w ill stop at nothing to thwart Oregon's plastic recycling law. Fortunately, the public is informed and active on the issue, and we are confident the Environmental Quality Commission w ill do the right thing."
