This Week In
Black History
, inventor
u r re irun pr ce ,
w born. 1 17 - J
Pol n d t r, B p t i
Churchman, born.
Which [am ou hall'
board denied Marian
Ander on and Hazel Scott
the right to perform be­
cau e of color?
MARCH 19, 1 72 -
T.J. Boyd patent ap-
paratus detaching hor e
from c rrla . 1919 -
Herb rt i hoi', trum­
wa. b r n. 1624 -
m fu k r , ftr t
hild born in the US
chri t ned at Jame town,
VA,
Name the thre prates­
tant church groups which
first accepted B lack in
large numbers,
MARCH 20, 18 - J n
MatzeUnger patents hoe­
lasting machine. 1914 -
John L ngford, lawyer,
was born.
Were freed slaves given-
40 acres and a mule at the
close of the Civil War?
MARCH 21, 1965 -
Martin Luther King .Jr.
lead thousands of marchers
from Selma to
Montgomery, Ala. 1918 -
ir Charle Thomp 'on,
saxophonist, was born.
Where and when were
the first slaves settled in the
US?
MARCH 22, 189
J.W. Smith patcnts the
lawn sprinklcr. 1919-­
Charles Ch r-Is t iu n.
gui tarist, was born,
Which Black s i en u st
developed the camera/spec­
tograph for the Apollo 1 (j
space flight?
MARCH 23, 1873 -
Siaveryaholi hed in Puer­
to Rico. 1943 - Lee May,
basebal1 player, W8 "b·o'hi." ,
How many Black jockeys
'ilave been Kentucky Derby
. ?
winners,
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
March 17 to 23
17th - They were al­
most universally
Republican - the party of
Abraham Lincoln.
18th - Constitution
Hall in WaShington, DC,
controlled by the
Daughters of the American
Revolution (DAR).
19th Baptists,
Methodist, and Pres­
byterians,
20th - No. It was a ,
rumor, but based upon (act,
in that such a request was
. made of the government by
congressman Char le Sum­
mer of Mas achu ells.
21st -. In what later be­
came the US, slave were in
South Carolina in 1526
along the bank of the Pee
Dee River - Tidewater
country.
22nd - George E. Car­
ruthers.
23 - Fourteen between
1875 and 1902.
.
Clack calls for
�ights Bill
• State Representative Floyd
�lack (D-Flint) has intro­
duced a resolution calling on
�ongress to enact a federal
oivil rights bill, aying it
would be e pecially p­
propriate for returning D sert
Storm troops to have in­
creased assuranc of equality
Ut employment, housin and
other areas.
• "A disproportionate num­
ber of front Hnc tr op in the
lersian Gulf conflict were
ftlinorities," Clack said. "We
Dwe them more than a parade
and a handshake. We owe
them meaningful jobs and op­
portunitie , a safe, afforda Ie
place to live and freedom
from discriminatory policies
- nd practice ."
• The bil'l before Congre's
would not put an end to all
Vestige of di crimination.
the Flint tate repre entative
·aid but it would help move
,he nation ahead.
,
i ne fi­
cho r­
o ve r no r ' chief
dvi e r. "It i id commen-
t ry th t people h to pend
o mu h bo unc m g b c nd
forth between progr m ."
horn aid th t the
time it t people 8 they
arc huf led be tw en different
pro r m y omething
bout the current ize of t te
gov rnm nr, and that the ad­
mini tr at io n will try to reduce
t he onfu ion by creating
foc I 'poi nt .
"We're trong believer in
one- top hopping for e r­
vice . tt h added.
One of the i ue i that the
tate ha a y tern, or lack of
a sy tern, of epar te, elf­
contained program that have
no regard or how they inter­
act with other program, aid
Harry Smith, pre ident of the
. National Rehabilitation A -
sociation.
ttl don't think we fully un­
der tand the magnitude of the
lawyer
tac
"We w a te � t r e m e n d u
amount of money th way we
do thi ng now." added Gam­
botto, who i al 0 a member
of the Mtc higan Commi ion
on Handic pper Concern .
With attempts to reduce the
size of the bureaucracy be-
Doctor
,
leaving the state becau e of
the fear of being sued and
Michigan's high in ur a nc c
co t.
LANSING-A the roop in
the Persian Gulf get ready to MICHIGAN RANKS third
come home. people may begin for liability insurance rates
to hear about another battle as for .o b s te t r l c i a ns and
doctors andJawyers prepare gynecologist. who pay al-
to fight over the issue of most $80,000 per year for in-
medical liability and surance. This cost i then
negligence. passed to health care con-
Both organizations, the surne rs.
Mic.hig.an Trial Lawyers As- ,.ll�t J nc Bailey, executive
. s o c ta u cn (M.'FLA) nd th.c.' d ir e c to r of. the MTLA, said
Mi�h' ,'t t� ..... e . al:,) that report of doctors leaving
Society (MSMS), are about to Michigan arc false. Referring
wage a full-scale media war to a 1990 study by the Office
to convince Mi c h i g a n r cs i- of Health and Medical Af-
dent and the Legislature to fairs, Michigan Department
sup ort their cause. of Management and Budget,
Medical profe io na ls are the state has 60 percent more
proclaiming there is a crisis, phystcians than it did 20 years
With outrageous l a suits ago, Bailey said.
c a u ing increa ed insurance "It' not Shortage problem.
rates and higher medical cost. It is a distribution problem,"
Attorneys s ay there is no Bailey aid, "Doctor are
crisis, but tl at doctors are leaving the urban areas where
trying to get the Legislature you've got poor people on
to pass bi l ls that will protect Medicaid. They're leaving
doctors and their incomes. and going to the suburbs
Dr. Susan Hershberg Adel- where thc y 've got rich people
man, president MSMS, said with private insurance."
that about 61 percent of the One problem is that doctors
tate's medical residents arc arc having troubl� staying in
By DENNIS MANSFIELD
Capital Ntw Service
Legi lature e'yes
liability reform
by HEATHER L. HARRIS
Capital News Service
ANSINO -Michigan resi­
dent may be on the verge of
lower health care co t a the
tate Legi laturc turns it at­
tention to the problem of
liabilit}' reform.
"There' no reason the
Legi lature can't get moving
right now on th problem,"
Gov. Engler said. "There's no
reason it can't be done early."
"The governor want to put
together a package of bills on
liability reform to introduce
into the Legislature this
spring or ummer," said John
Tlu coat Engler's press
·ccretary. "It is a huge deter­
rent to hu iness in Michigan."
A bill wa introduced in the
enate at the end of January
"hich would put a cap of
$225,000 on award for non!
c�onomic damage and 10 S.
The bill currently reside in
the judiciary committee.
"In general, Michigan has
the wor t climate in the
country (regarding liability),"
said Pat FOley, a spoke per-
on for �he Michigan Ho pital'
A ociation.
arbitration and mediation for
liabi ll ty clai ms, place a cap
on awards for non-economic
damages and place a ceiling
on contingency fees for
lawyers. in liability cases, he
aid.
Currently, lawyers usually
receive about 33 percent of
each liability award, Foley
said.
" T h, e p I a i n t iff r are t y
recover 50 percent of the
award," Foley said. "It's not
a very efficient system."
MiChigan has the third
highest liability iinsurance
premium in the nation for
obstetricians and
gyneCOlogist. according to an
October survey by the
MiChigan State Medical
Society. Only Florida and
New York rank higher.
Physicians are able to write
their professional liability
premi ums off on their income
taxes as a business expe nse,
however, a�cording to the
society.
Judith Allen, a spokesper­
son for Sen. Dan DeGrow'
(R-Port Huron).office aid
Sen. DeGrow is currently
working on drafts which
cover what' not in the bill
introduced in January. The
d raft also conta in cap on
attorney fees, he said. Allen
said he expects .the draft to
be fini hed in a couple of
weeks.
FQLEY SAID LIABILITY
co t are the greatest propor­
ti n of ho pital expen es.
The MHA is lobbying for
legi lation which would cre­
ate an out-of-court y tern of
i not
n t r p
dd d.
Smith dded
cut will only "e
the problem. H . id the i u
of "need" get confu ed ith
"dollar availability" becau. e
of how progr m re en ct d
and be au e 0 f t he I c k 0
coordination, m king thing
"even more in ne ."
"We haven't dealt with the
i ue of need (when I okrng
at budget cut )", Smith aid.
"We've d alt with the i sue
dollar availahility. Tho e arc
different thing ."
Budget cut ould com-
pound the problem because
"the way the Legi lature
look' at (cuts) i very com­
partmentalized it elf," Smith
aid. Lc gi lator may not un­
d ,e r tan d how a bud get cut
H I 0 e rvlce 1-
read yin place to a i 1 hand­
icapper find the help they
nc d. The commi ion on
Handi pp r Concern, with
thc D partment of Labor, ha
reated a toll-free number
called the "Action Ability
Line" a a ingle entry point
for information.
Patrick Cannon, executive
director, said the agency has
received more than 500 call
per month on the toll-free
number, 1-800 SAY-ABLE,
which ha been in operation
for mor than a year.
t, 'no -ing what's available
to you is important," Cannon
off over liability
bu iness in areas with a high
number of patients on
Medicaid, aid Da v i-d Fox,
chief of media relations for
MSMS. Fox aid there is a
problem in certain, arc as of
the state. such a the inner­
ci ty of De trol r, wi th high con­
centrations of Medicaid
patients where doctor reim­
bursement i only 40 cents on
the dollar.
"Physicians can't justify
paying the in.urance rate
. they do to make a practice
work there and literally go out
of business," he added.
NOT ONLY ARE medical
residcnts leaving Mtchtga n,
but practicing physicians are
retiring c a r l i c r hcfore they
Families
get "that one big law suit"
filed again t them, Fox said.
According to Bailey, the
MSMS loves it when the press
write tories about large set­
tlements in medical malprac­
tice uits so the doctor's
10bbYI ts can run to the Legis­
lature and cry that the system
i out of control, -b ut tbat in
reality multi-million dollar
law uit are an Oddity.
.Bc twc c n 1986 and 1989,
there w c r c .4.000 m d ic 1 I
I i a b II it Y cas e , wit h 0 n t'y
t h r e emu It i - m fIr ion do lIa rs
1 a \\ sui t b c i n g up he I d. B a i ley
said.
Fox di puted that claim and
s a id that in urance companies
are cttling out of court be­
cause of the uncertainty of a
m lion."
Cre tin a in Ie e try •
point for iformatlon or er­
vices I not a ne idea. T
Department of Social Ser-
vice u ed to i n one per-
on per c se , ho ould do
every thin needed to be done
for th t client.
"It' h rd for one perso to
e e p tr c of 11 t
progr ms, he id. "It ain't
frivolou deci Ion <to spe­
ci lize)."
By creatin one entry point
for jut h ndic ppers, dif­
ferent problem could urface.
Thi could ca u e handicap­
per to feel if they re
being ingled out, or ma e
other group feel like they are
being discrimin ted gainst
becau e they do not receive
the arne tre tme nt , Peller
id.
"Thi i real touchy sub-
ject," he added.
Peller aid h ving a in te­
entry point fo, ervices would
be a good ide for everyone,
not jut handicapper •
verdict and the fear of a large
award agai ns t the doctor.
Fox aid the MTLA claim
of doctors coming to
Michigan, .rather than Ie vin
it, are wrong. The MTLA il
not tell ing where the doctors
are, he added. M ny of the
doctors moving to the state
are taking te achi ng or ad­
ministrative positions nd ar�
not practicing physicians,
Fox said.
"(The i sue of the number
dr do t i mpo _ 1
s Ib t e Jor. e I Jt.e_f 8.�oup to
prove," Fox added.
Unlike the victory in the
Persi an Gulf,' there may not be
a clear winner as the battle
over medical liability and
negligence may never end.
Support one another
SISTERLY LOVE -Service
man Othello Cox's sl ter TIDa
and wife Lisa at support IrouP
meeting the day Preside t
Bu h called a cease nre. LI.�,
who expects to be a mother ID
May, wa In Germany before
the Gulf War. She came home
In December when her
husband went to the Gulf.
A FAMILY AFFAIR -Dorll '
Lane, Myron r. Jones and
Charle Lane, the mother,
brother and uncle of a loldle"
In the Persian Gulf War, found
trength In one of Mlchllan'l
MlIltar.y Family Support
Grou pSt They atteDded the
Highland P rk/Hamtramck
upport group which meeta at
the American Lealon Po t on
Victor. (Photo by N. Scott)
• J •