Letter: Health care status quo not sustainable

As the consideration about health care reform heats up, it would be good to review some facts. About 50 million Americans, including many in our community, do not have health insurance, and many more are underinsured. Even more are hard aware that they can be dropped from insurance if they get sick or might not be wrapped because of some pre-existing condition.Other developed countries spend far less than our country on health care and have better outcomes such as durability and infant mortality rates.Many leaders, including executives at GM and other large corporations, as well as many politicians and most Americans, see the want for reform. The question is, can we agree to agree?Consensus is building for a authority that everyone carry health insurance while prohibiting insurance companies from selectively cherry-picking patients.Three quarters of Americans favor a Medicare like public option so that people have a choice between personal and public insurance. This public option has been endorsed by a number of cautious arrangment including the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, and the Mayo Clinic.Some assert that this is socialized medicine, but it is no more socialized than Medicare or veterans’ care. Some assert that it would create panels to agree if a person deserves to get care, but it would not. Some assert that reform would be too expensive, but with the way things are going now, we can’t afford NOT to change the system, and donation an option like Medicare to everyone is critical to including costs.When Medicare was passed in 1965, there were urgent predictions about socialism and death panels; once in place, Medicare has proven to be effective and popular. Can we expand it to cover more people? I think we can.Jim Deming,Tomah

The school year with status quo contract FWCS, FWEA agree to start it

Fort Wayne Community Schools and the Fort Wayne Education Association have accede to maintain a status quo contract for the next school year, which means there will be no major language changes in the contract and no changes in the salary schedule. Under state law, when a new contract is not established the existing contract remains in effect. FWCS and FWEA agreed to move forepart without bargaining a new contract for the 2009-10 school year. In June, the two sides adjourn bargaining as the state budget was still unclear. Leaders had hope that a clearer financial picture would emerge prior to the beginning of the school year, and they could return to negotiations. While more financial information is now available, FWCS officials plan a full analysis of the community's finances over the next few months. Until that is complete, both sides agreed there was little that could be accomplished in formal bargaining sessions. FWCS and FWEA will continue meeting regularly to discuss issues that arise throughout the year, including setting calendars for future school years. "We will continue to use our discussion process to have dialogue open so as issues arise there is a way to communicate with teachers," Superintendent Wendy Robinson said. "With so much remaining uncertain financially, this was the best consclusion we could reach at this point." FWEA President Al Jacquay said it makes sense to forgo negotiating this year and resume bargaining next of spring. "We're going to table this for right now and focus on the job of educating students," he said.

Status Quo: Status Quo is not an option for cancer patients

As a cancer patient, I know that our nation's current health care system is broken and does not work for many people with cancer.
Too often, the high cost of health care keeps many cancer patients from being able to produce the lifesaving treatments they need. They can be forced to make tough choices such as delaying care, skipping medications or forgoing other household bills just to make ends meet. And if a cancer patient loses his or her job or is no longer able to work, it can be impossible to find reasonable insurance in the private individual market because of pre existing condition exclusions and excellent based on health status.
Cancer patients can experience all of the ambush of the current broken health care system. Which is why, if we can fix it for them, we can fix it for parctically anyone at risk of being diagnosed with a chronic disease. We need to focus on transforming the current system to one that places greater emphasis on preventing disease, provides quality, reasonable health insurance for all Americans and emphasizes the importance of supporting a patient's choice of life.
The good news is that the bills currently being argument by Congress represent a huge promotion for people fighting cancer.
In their current form, the bills guard that no one will be denied coverage or charged a higher premium because of pre existing medical conditions, place an addition accent on prevention and eliminate annual and lifetime dollar caps on benefits. These are enormous steps forward.
But the only way that we can benefit from this progress is if we keep the momentum going and call on Congress to pass health care reform legislation. At the same time, Congress wants to ensure that any reform includes reportage that is adequate and reasonable for people with cancer and other life threatening chronic diseases.
To action that, we want to make sure that insurance premiums are reasonable for everyone, that there is a reasonable limit on out of pocket costs to the patient and that the benefits are acceptable to treat a person with cancer.
Cancer patients across the country are digging deep into their savings and risking financial ruin to pay for lifesaving care. In Utah, 1 in 4 control people under the age of 65 live in households that spend more than 10 percent of their income on health care costs. This number added by 89 percent between 2000 and 2008.
High costs are forcing tough decisions upon families with cancer that no one should ever have to make. Nearly a third of all adults who have been diagnosed with cancer face difficulty paying for necessities such as food, housing, heat and other bills. No cancer patient should ever be pressured to make a decision between continuing their life or keeping their life savings.
We cannot abase death and suffering from cancer if the country does not improve access to quality, reasonable health care for all Americans. Cancer patients know too well the holes in our broken "sick care" system. The status quo is not an option for cancer patients and survivors who are struggling to allow the care they need. We need Congress to put aside partisan politics and act now, not later, on behalf of all of their constituents who have cancer or who could get cancer -- in other words, for all of us.
Iris Tolley is the lead volunteer for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Utah. She is also a terminal cancer patient and has exponent for cancer patients in Washington and at the Utah State Capitol. She lives in Nephi.

State's schools Status Quo In U.S. News rankings

Minnesota schools accomplished much as they did last year, with Carleton College still among the top 10 "Best Liberal Arts Colleges" in the nation and the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus remaining 61st among the "Best National Universities."

The University of Wisconsin Madison got 39th in that category.

The magazine's record based on graduation rates, class size, peer assessments and other factors is an influential one for students and parents making their college capture. But in recent years more college presidents have argued it's a numbers game that relies too heavily on celebrity.

Several Minnesota schools ranked among the best liberal arts colleges for 2010:

Carleton College tied for 8th. Macalester College in St. Paul came in at 29th. St. Olaf College sat at 49th. St. John's University, the College of St. Benedict and Gustavus Adolphus College also placed among the top 100.

Others were named in a record of best universities that award master's degrees:

Hamline University nabbed No. 9 among 139 in the Midwest. Bethel University got 14th. St. Catherine University, Augsburg College, the College of St. Scholastica, the University of Minnesota Duluth and Winona State University also landed among the top 50 in that category.

STATUS QUO - PARFITT PLOTS RETURN TO BRITAIN

Status Quo star RICK PARFITT is planning to give up his life in Spain and move back to Britain for the sake of his baby twins.

The rocker's wife, Lindsay, gave birth to Lily and Tommy last May (08), and the couple has been raising them at their villa in the Spanish countryside.
Parfitt admits they have faced numerous difficulties having young children in such a remote area, so they have decided to sell the luxury property and move back to their native U.K.- because they want the twins to grow up in a more sociable environment.
The couple also plans to buy a holiday home in Spain close to their current abode so they can spend vacations in the sun.
Parfitt says, "Somehow you just miss old England. The villa here (in Spain) is currently on the market and we want to split our time between Spain and the U.K. The idea is to downsize to a villa closer to the coast and buy a country home in England. The kids have had a lovely peaceful start here with pure air and no noise, but now it's time to move them closer to civilisation and a variety of people.
"Also it's just too hot for them to leave the house in the Spanish summer.