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* Io By ROSE SUE BERSTEIN
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1 Once you arrive at the Uni-
*i f versity, getting a sore throat or
C o n maybe breaking your wrist is
l ano longer a simple matter in-
volving a visit to the family
I 1 doctor, paid for by your par-
- ents. Now you have to decide
1 whether you should brave all
u those rumors about University
- i Health Service - "they think
Swith this coupon every woman with a tummy
e ,uache is pregnant"; "if you have
* a sore throat you need an ex-
1 " ' pensive mono test."
I But despite rumors, within the
rappas. I ulnu1"Fletcher St. Emporium" exists
e a myriad jof services available
5 1 to all who enter therein. The
510, E. L BE R TYUniversity Health Service of-.
' fers not only 24-hour general
A medical assistance, but also
i VALID UNTIL 9-13 specialty clinics for allergy,
m m dermatology, ophtamology, ot-
II
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Thursday, September7, 1972
0
orium
ier street
ology, orthopedics, neurology,
and dentistry, which are open
daily.
In addition, there is a men-
tal health clinic, an immuniza-
tion center and a very popular
gynecology clinic.
Last year, fees were charged
for visits to the specialty clinics,
laboratory work and x-rays, al-
though there was no fee charge
for simple visits to the medical
clinic during business hours.
Under a new proposed fee
assessment plan - which would
assess a compulsory tax on all
students-Health Service users
would only have to pay for pre-
scription drugs and certain
minimum fees for laboratory
work.
The fee proposed by a plan-
ning committee last fall and
tenatively approved by the Re-
gents and the executive officers
would amount to abou't $11 per
term. This amount would face
some student disapproval from
those who never use the health
service or who are covered by
their parents' health insurance
plans. The change of age of ma-
jority to 18, however, may ex-
clude many of the latter from
coverage with their families.
At present, about 40 per cent
of students here subscribe to
health insurance offered by
Student Government Council
at $47.50 annually. These stu-
dents would, obviously, stand to
gain from the new fee propos-
al.
But, the idea behind the new
plan, according to its backers, is
to offer a more comprehensive
health care plan to the student
community. By eliminating per
visit costs students would not,
presumably, be reluctant to
treat their problems.
Although the new plan has
been tentatively approved it was
unclear at press time whether
the old system would continue
temporarily. Paul Brahler, Ad-
ministrative associate at Health
Service explained that the pro-
cedure has yet to be worked out
completely.
For each of the specialty clin-
ics, except the mental health
0 clinic, there has been a fee for
each visit, but when the new
plan goes into effect visits to
these clinics will probably be
free, according to Health Serv-
ice sources.
Among the most popular of
the special clinics, besides gyne-
cology, are allergy and immuni-
zation, where business really
picks up before the annual sum-
mer Europe rush.
All of your records from any
part of Health Service are kept
completely confidential. This
means that if you want to sub-
scribe to the pill, or you think
you have VD or you don't want
a potential employer to know
you are going to the mental
health clinic, you can forget
your worries, because no records
can be released without your
written consent.
What do students who use
Health Service think of it?
Not unexpectedly, reactions
vary.
"I went there with a tooth-
ache when I was a freshman,
and they were very nice. They
only charged five dollars," said
one Natural Resources junior.
But another student, a senior
in the literary college, was dis-
appointed. "I had a mysterious
rash for two weeks," she said.
"It kept itching and I kept
scratching. Finally I went to
Health Service, and described
what was wrong. The doctor
listened patiently and seemed
to be studying his fountain pen.
He repeated back to me exactly
what I had told him, then said,
"You must be in the scratch
and itch cycle."
But on some counts, nearly
all users of health service agree.
The allergy shots are really ef-
ficient and cheap, and the pre-
scription prices are really low.
So, confronted with the in-
expensive and comprehensive
services Health Service touts
:
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CYCLING NEEDS
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and the horror stories of its vic-
tims, what should you do?
Realize that the Health Serv-
ice can be very useful in most
instances. If you need contra-
ceptive advice, or a typhoid
shot, or if you have hayf ever or
a cold, the Health Service can't
be beat. It pays to find a doc-
tor you like - through trial and
error or friends' recommenda-
tions, then return to that same
physician. If you doubt what
your doctor says, or don't feel
secure, explain that to her or
him. In addition, it wouldn't
hurt to invest the extra time
and money to visit the Univer-
sity hospital.
Remember that medicine has
never claimed to be fail-proof,
and all doctors can make mis-
takes. In a large, gossip-ridden
community like this one, those
mistakes reach larger audi-
ences.
Generally, then it is probably
safe to categorize the health
service with dormitory food.
Use it, but with caution and a
grain of salt.
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