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7 - Sunday, August 4, 1985 - North Shore News

Doctors shouldn't pay for medicare

Dear Editor:

Jack Davis’ frequent let-
ters to the editor often offer
practical solutions to pro-
blems of the day, many of
them precipitated by actions
of his government col-
leagues. However, in his let-
ter of Monday, June 17,
‘‘Limit doctors’ pay, not
billing rights," Davis is far
off the mark.

First of all, he has fallen
for the carefully orchestrated
government claim that
health care costs are out of
control and that oppressive
tegislation like Biil 41, or
other legislation to ration
health care, is required to
solve the ‘‘problem’’. Davis
agrees that Bill 41, and the
limiting of billing numbers
for dociors, is ill-advised.
But his alternatives are
unbelievably irresponsible.

‘ee,

Dear Editor:

I used to smoke cigarettes,
but now I am allergic to
them and to tobacco smoke.
I do not go into restaurants.
I do not go into theatres
because of all the smoke in
the lobby. When I inhale
just a little bit of smoke, |

He villainizes doctors for ris-
ing health care costs, but
would impose ‘‘solutions’’
which are directed at
punishing the doctors, and
would in reality penalize
their patients as well.

Does Mr. Davis know that
Medical Services Plan pay-
ments last year actually
decreased over the previous
year, when population
growth is accounted for?
Does he know that payment
for doctor services has in-
creased only slightly over the
past 10 years from 1.28 per
cent to 1.55 per cent of the
Gross Domestic Product?
What kind of hemorrhage is
this? In reality, health care
costs are not ‘tout of hand”’.
Government’s problem is
one of priorities, and it’s at-
tempting to create an at-
mosphere of hysteria in

get depressed and I get a
headache. After about tea
minutes in a smoke-filled
room, | feel like 1 used to
feel after smoking a pack. |
feel just awful.

I think twice about going
into a store where I see
somebody smoking. I know

HELP HANDICAPPED

Dear Editor:

», During: our ‘May door to
door fund raising drive, vol-
unteer canvassers raised
nearly $64,000 for the North
Shore Association for the
Mentally Handicapped. We
thank all who ccntributed
and especially those who
canvassed. We couldn't have
done it without you.

We assure you that funds
raised on the North Shore

are used to assist mentally
handicapped North Shore
residents. Should you still
wish to contribute, please
mai! it to the North Shore
Association for the Mentally
Handicapped, #3-431 Moun-
tain Highway, North Van-
couver, B.C. V7J 2L1, A
receipt for Income Tax pur-
poses will be sent promptly.
Mildred Dalton

Campaign Coordinator
North Vancouver

HYPNOSIS

Coming of an Age

| By JOHN STOKES |

In July of this year Dan
Rutley’s hypnotherapy
practice celebrated its third
birthday, and as a close
friend who has watched it
grow form an empty, bare
office to the professional
establishment it now is, it
seemed timely to write a
few words about this
remarkable man.

D. Rutley & Associates
now boasts two consulting
rooms and a receptionist
and has group sessions as
‘well .as evening and
weekend appointments.
Their clients in recent mon-
ths have included T.V. and

’ Radio personalities as well

as movie stars. Behavioral-

problems that have been
resolved range from smok-

ing and overeating through
anxiety and nail-biting;
from stress contro! and
memory improvement
through relaxation for
childbirth and pain control.

“When I first opened a
lot of people were very
skeptical,” Dan admits.
“But over the past 36 mon-
ths my company has earn-

ed a lot of respect for both
its professionalism and
success rate, especially
from local physicians,
many of whom now sug-
gest their patients come
and see me for stress and
weight reduction or quitting
smoking.”

The success of Dan's
company is directly propor-
tional to his sincerity and
enthuiasm. “Every client I
see is an individual,” he
says. “Although the pro-
blems they have are often
similar they are never quite
the same, therefore each
person has to be approach-
ed differently which in turn
means they are all equally

‘important to me be they
from Hollydurn or
Hollywood.”

Since 1841 when Dr.

Braide first coined the-

word “Hypnosis” the
science has had a tough
uphill struggle for recogni-
tion. At last, thanks to
pioneers like Dan, it is
finally achieving the degree
of respectability it
deserves.

So what wil the next

three years bring to D.

Rutley & Associates? Dan

order to justify its plans to
tighten the health care purse
strings.

Doctors get paid on a
fee-for-services basis. Their
earnings reflect demands of
their patients. Davis would
do nothing to control the
demand, but he would im-
pose an arbitrary cap on
doctors’ gross incomes of
$100,000. Like other siall
businessmen, doctors must
pay expenses, which means
that the net income for
general practitioners would
be $55,000 and for
specialists, $65,000. Out of
this, doctors would still have
to pay taxes, and set aside
money for retirement. In
order to insure achievement
of his goal, he would impose
a “‘recovery’' tax on doctors’
income over $100,000. What
other group in our society

that § will feel lousy for the
next couple of days. I don't
know what I will do if 1 ever
get a job and even one per-
son in the office smokes; I
suppose I could get an out-
door job.

I was interviewed by your
‘inquiring reporter’’ in
January and asked if JI
thought smoking should be
allowed in offices. 1 said,
“No!’’ but you printed that
I said yes. At that time I
thought that we should allow
people to quit on their own
as they educated themselves
as to the dangers.

Now, however, I think
that cigarettes should be
banned because, having
.some friends as smokers, |
know they will never quit on
their own.

You might think that I
might be cutting off my nose
to spite my face to no longer
see these ‘‘friends’’, but 1
cannot stand it, the sore

Dan Rutley
Professional Hypnotherapist

Rutley puts it this way. “My
company is still evolving
and what I now forsee is a
period of consolidation
where the techniques we've
developed are reviewed,
revised and, if necessary
upgraded, thereby ensuring
the maximum benefit to
our clients.’.

Although Dan Rutley's

company has changed in
appearance since 1982 its
basic philosophy remains
unaltered: to show people
how to help themselves by
modifying the way they
think.
(Author's Note: Dan Rutley
can be contacted at his of-
fice for a Free Consultation
by Calling 986-9304)

would be conscripted by
government to provide free
service?

Davis’ answer for the
problem of rising health cost
is patently ridiculous. Cer-
tainly our health care system
does face serious problems
and the demand for health
care is increasing, but who is
to say the demand is ex-
cessive? How much is too
much?

These and other very
serious questions can only be
resolved when creative
answers are found through a
consensus among those who
provide, those who pay for,
and (most importantly) those
who consume health care.

The BC Medical Associa-
tion remains ready to coo-
perate in finding fair and ef-
fective ways of making
medicare work. We know

2an cigarettes in B.C.

eyes, the headaches, the
depression, and the upset
that ' have for once again
allow:.1g myself to associate
with smokers.

It will never do and some-
thing has to be done, and
that {- why I am writing to
you. Smoking is insane: it
riot only hurts the smoker (it
may kill or maim him or
her), it hurts all the people
around him (or her).

This is am impassioned
plea for people to stop
smoking or for legislation to
be passed to ban cigarettes,
at least in British Columbia
where I live.

Thank you.

George C. Michas
North Vancouver

[Beat the Heat with Summer Pleats]
or 1” mini venetians :

DESIGNER BLINDS

1705 Marine Dr.

N. Vancouver

ERC

this is what the public
deserves and expects. If Mr,
Davis has his way, gov-
ernment induced rationing
will reduce our health care
system to second grade
status.

Ido not think the public
wants that, nor do I believe
they will tolerate it.

Gerry Karr, MD
President

B.C. Medical Association
Vancouver

Dr. MILES PRICE, President

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