Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 9, 1993 TAG: 9304090191
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
CARILION CHIEF PRAISES CLINTON HEALTH REFORMS
Carilion Health System's president on Thursday endorsed the Clinton Administration's initiative to overhaul the nation's health care system, saying previous attempts at a "quick fix" have done little good."The system we have is not working," said Thomas Robertson, head of the Roanoke-based hospital company. "The problems are multifaceted and can't be corrected with a Band-Aid approach."
Robertson spoke to the Radford Chamber of Commerce. Carilion owns 12 hospitals in Western Virginia, including Radford Community.
President Clinton's health-care proposal, expected to be released in May, will provide health insurance for every American but it also will mean fewer health care choices, Robertson said.
The new plan will cause a slowdown in growth of the health care industry, and that will mean longer waits for elective surgery and longer travel to hospitals for people living in rural areas, he said.
Clinton has said his plan will likely include a "play or pay" policy that will require all employers to provide health benefits or pay a tax to support a public plan that employees could join. An estimated 35 million Americans currently do not have health insurance.
Robertson said the national insurance plan probably won't include dental or vision policies. "It's not going to be the Cadillac model, but more like the Chevrolet model," he said.
Also, it likely will take three to five years for Clinton's policy to be implemented, but "managed care" offers employers some immediate hope at cutting the high cost of medical benefits, Robertson said.
Under managed care, much like in health maintenance organizations, companies contract with insurance companies to answer the health needs of their employees.
The program would restrict which doctors or hospitals employees could use, Robertson said. Workers, for instance, couldn't see medical specialists unless referred by general practitioners.
"Right now we don't have any checks and balances to make sure we're getting people to the appropriate level of care," he said. "We are not going to compromise quality," just refocus priorities.
Robertson said Carilion already has a managed care policy for its employees and is pleased with the results.
"As a provider of health care we are very interested in managed care," he said. "I think all health care providers want to be part of the solution."