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4 A ❘ WEDNESDAY EDITION ❘ MARCH 11, 2017 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR Opinion ❘ 541-902-3520 ❘ EDITOR @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respecting an estab- lishment of religion or prohibiting the free exer- cise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Congress is still asking the wrong healthcare question the name, the more money they can demand from insur- ance companies), the same two cost factors rise to the top of the list: Administrative costs. Drug costs. WHO studies, Consumer Reports and even health econ- omists like David Cutler at other developed country. In fact, if that $3 trillion health- care sector was its own coun- try, it would be the fifth- largest economy in the world according to Consumer Reports. And even though we are outspending other industrial- ized countries nearly 2-to-1, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently ranked the U.S. a dismal 37th in health- care systems — with The Commonwealth Fund naming us dead last among the top 11 industrialized countries for overall healthcare dollar-for- dollar. In preparing this editorial, I spent time researching the rea- sons behind healthcare’s astro- nomical costs in this country. While there are many fac- tors, from defensive medicine practices for avoiding law- suits, to the “branding” of healthcare providers similar to designer clothing (the bigger While watching coverage of the debate over healthcare in our nation’s Capitol, I couldn’t help but be struck by the irony of knowing that the same peo- ple haggling over what health coverage Americans should have access to are the same people who have complete coverage paid for by taxpayer dollars. It’s no wonder that the real question that members of Congress should be asking has yet to be raised: Why is healthcare so expensive to begin with? At $3 trillion a year, the cost of healthcare in the U.S. is nearly twice as much as any The reason? Billing specialists are need- ed to determine how to bill the varying requirements of multi- ple insurers. Why the need for multiple insurers? Because more and more, single insurers can’t cover the rising costs of medical proce- From the Editor’s Desk N ED H ICKSON Harvard University agree that those two factors are the driv- ing forces behind skyrocket- ing healthcare costs. On average, 25 percent of healthcare dollars go to cover administrative fees. In an interview on the PBS News Hour, Cutler gave the example of Duke University Hospital, which has 1,300 billing clerks and only 900 beds. dures and drug prescriptions, particularly at a time when the median age in America is 40. In most countries, govern- ment negotiates drug prices with drug makers, which vir- tually guarantees lower prices. However, when Congress cre- ated Medicare Part D, it specifically denied Medicare the right to negotiate drug prices. At the same time, the Veterans Administration and Medicaid aren’t under the same restriction and pay the lowest drug prices. According to Congress’s own Budget Office, if Medicare Part D recipients received the same discount as Medicaid recipients, the feder- al government would save $116 billion over the next 10 years. Imagine the money American taxpayers would save if those on Medicare could benefit from the same Medicaid-negotiated drug prices? One has to wonder why Congress is so opposed to weighing in on controlling the cost of prescription drugs and healthcare as a whole, and what — if any — role those who benefit most from that $3 trillion industry play in that decision. As taxpayers, we are America’s shareholders — and Congress is our board of directors. It’s time we ask why the board of America, Inc., isn’t pursuing a more cost- effective healthcare plan that will guarantee a better return on our investment, which in this case literally puts lives at stake physically and financial- ly. Rather than bickering over ways to pay for the astronom- ical costs associated with healthcare and prescription drugs, Congress needs to slow down and address the issue of controlling those costs in the first place. Establishing affordable healthcare isn’t about how to pay more but about how to pay less. Write Siuslaw News editor Ned Hickson at nhickson@thesiuslaw news.com or P.O. Box 10, Florence, Ore. 97439. LETTERS A FOOL ’ S ERRAND Regarding Rosalie Wells’ letter “Tracking the Russian Bear” (March 4). All governments try to influence voting in other nations. It is nothing new. Obama tried to influence Brexit. The British tried to influ- ence our 1940 elections to get us in the fight against Germany. They used wiretaps, recruited journalists, invented fake stories and funded pro-British groups — tactics that sound very familiar. And they were our friends. Ditto by Germany, but for the opposite rea- sons. The “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections” was released by Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) following Obama’s request for a review by the Intelligence Community. Had the election turned out differently, I believe it unlikely there would have been any report — and even more unlikely it would ever seen the light of day. It’s high time people realize that segments L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR P OLICY The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discussion of issues on the local, state and national level. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaran- teed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Libelous, argumentative and anony- mous letters or poetry will not be pub- lished. of our news have been fake for a very, very long time. If our attention is being pointed in one direction, we are well advised to be look- ing in the other. Redirecting attention is how politicians, pickpockets and prestidigitators stay in business. The Russians have far more capability than hacked amateurs like the DNC, Podesta and HRC. If the FBI detected Russian finger- prints, I say we should be looking elsewhere. In my opinion, Russia pretty much had things their own way during the previous administration. Who benefits more from a conservative U.S. government, Israel or Russia? Expert professionals only leave the clues they want found. It’s a fool’s errand to have Congress inves- tigate anything. They are so partisan they can’t see an elephant or a donkey in front of their noses. They gave us ObamaCare with- out a second glance; the Warren Commission stated Oswald acted alone then, 15 years later, concluded a conspiracy to kill JFK. And don’t forget that $20 trillion debt. Under current workforce demographics, every other child born today owes $150,000 at birth. Please write your elected officials in Congress, whether Democrat, Republican or otherwise, and tell them to quit playing poli- tics and work toward healthcare we can afford, as well as a balanced budget, debt reduction and full employment. Ian Eales Florence C LEAR IRONY There’s clear irony in watching members of Congress work diligently to strip the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of anything worthwhile as those very same members of Congress receive the benefits of a well-pay- ing job that includes the best medicine tax- payers can pay for — in the form of Single Payer healthcare. It’s more than ironic, actually. It’s criminal. Robin Bloomgarden Eugene Write to: editor@thesiuslawnews.com USPS# 497-660 accountability over the toxic chemicals that get into drinking water? Will we be able to keep our water safe where there are fracking wells? The Superfund Act is also affected by these cuts. It is critical for the protection of people and neighborhoods that are affected by the toxic releases of the chemical and petroleum industries. The taxes that have been collected from these industries are used to respond directly to threatened releases and to clean up abandoned and hazardous sites. With de-regulation, where will the money come from, and how will these corporations be held responsible? It is disturbing to see that agencies, sup- posedly established for the benefit of all American citizens, are now being run by men whose only desire is to implement their own authoritarian corporate biases. Those who benefit are the CEOs whose bonuses will insulate them from caring about the rest of us. Joann Henderson Florence P OLITICAL /E LECTION ‘L ETTERS ’ POLICY Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. The newspaper does not publish partisan letters that promote or endorse local political candidates based solely on their record, reputation and qual- ifications; this constitutes paid political advertising. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes. This also constitutes paid political advertis- ing. As with all letters and advertising con- tent, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and edi- tor, reserves the right to reject any such letter. The newspaper is particularly sensitive to organized “letter-writing campaigns.” The newspaper reserves the right to reject any such letter. Write to: editor@thesiuslawnews.com Copyright 2017 © Siuslaw News Publisher, ext. 327 General Manager, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Marketing Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Boxed and display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $71; 10-weeks subscription, $18; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $94; 10-weeks subscription, $24; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $120; Out of United States — 1-year subscription, $200; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: www.TheSiuslawNews.com WHERE TO WRITE Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541-997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. John Bartlett Jenna Bartlett Ned Hickson Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry D ON ’ T GUT THE EPA The EPA was established in 1970 by Republican President Richard Nixon to create an umbrella agency for federal research, monitoring, setting standards and enforcing the protection of the environment. He, at least, had the wisdom to see how important this is in our ever more industrial- ized world. Today, the aim of newly appointed EPA head Scott Pruitt is to essentially set back decades of environmental progress. The administration is cutting the EPA budget by at least 25 percent from programs that were passed in a bi-partisan Congress. Even some Republican members of Congress are objecting to these Draconian- style measures. Pruitt said in the confirmation process that the states, and not the federal government, should regulate environmental policies. But these cuts apparently translate to 35 to 40 per- cent for the states — and sometimes as much as 100 percent. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) budget is being cut by $1 billion. These are the experts the public depends on for weather satellites, climate research and coastal management. Think Gulf oil spill; NOAA was there to manage and direct the clean-up. The new administration is riddled with these kinds of catch-22 concerns. It seems to me that Pruitt’s aim is to gut the EPA of any regulatory power and create a “vending machine for industry.” He is first and foremost tied to the oil industry and has shown it by canceling a for- mer request to the fossil fuel industry for information about its methane emissions (a dangerous greenhouse gas). Without data, it will be difficult to prove the extent of damage on the air we breathe and changes in our climate. Donald Trump campaigned to protect our air and water. Yet, he eliminated The Clean Water Rule, jeopardizing the streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands that feed the water sup- plies of 117 million Americans. Will Big Oil be held accountable for pipeline spills? Will there be any control or Pres. Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753/FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 www.merkley.senate.gov Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, OR 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416 541-269-2609/ 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@state.or.us State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown@state.or.us West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@co.lane.or.us
