Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • October 28, 2009 Glen Rock Health care experts discuss reform at library by John Koster The Glen Rock Public Library recently hosted a panel experts who discussed the implications of health care reform. Professor Barrie Peterson of Ramapo College served as moderator. The experts were Dr. Armand Leon, who is a physician and an attorney; Dr. James Battaglia, a psychologist; Andy Curshen, a Realtor with a knowledge of the English, Canadian, and Swiss public health care systems; and Jim Quinlan of David Sayles Insurance, who discussed insurance implications. Curshen, who grew up in England and lived in Canada and the United States, said health care should be a virtual matter of civil rights like education. He said people in England take for granted that health care should be the right of all. Life-threatening illnesses, he said, are treated immediately in Canada and Switzerland, but operations that involve no threat to life are sometimes postponed for seven to 10 weeks. He approves the concept of health care for all. In England, he said, physicians are on salary and not profit-driven. Curshen said that in Switzerland, health care is mandatory, like automobile insurance in the United States, and that everyone is enrolled and pays a reasonable fee for reasonable care. After a $1,325 deductible, the government pays for all medical care. In the United States, patients with catastrophic illnesses are forced to use up their bank accounts before they can quality for Medicaid, and risk losing their homes. Panelists noted that 47 million Americans have no health insurance coverage, including 12 million illegal aliens and 10 million “young invincibles” – people in their 20s and 30s who don’t believe they will ever get sick or have an accident. Battaglia agreed with that health care should be driven by concern for the patient, and limits should not be imposed on legitimate costs the system would cover. He said that some physicians do not enroll in the program because of the comparatively low pay. Dr. Leon said that Medicare is underpricing the health care community and cannot keep going. The same thing reportedly happened in England and Canada. Reform will not change the cost of health care in a few months, the doctor said. The panelist believed it would take five to 10 years for the reform to take effect. He also said that physicians are seriously impacted by malpractice insurance, which costs some of them hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, and some obstetricians are leaving New Jersey because of the high cost of malpractice insurance. He added that physicians have an average of eight minutes with each patient and the patients must be responsible for following doctor’s instructions. Quinlan noted that health care costs differ drastically from state to state, with people in Pennsylvania paying one-third what New Jersey residents pay. Some people are also denied health care in some states due to pre-existing conditions, but can qualify in other states. For instance, one man moved from Carolina to New York to get the insurance coverage he needed. The panel did not advocate any single solution. The seminar, which received good reviews from the residents who attended, was arranged by Jean Baker Wunder of The SOURCE and Glen Rock Library Director Roz Pelcyger. Most of those who attended the two-and-a-half-hour panel said they found it informative. Students of the Month named Melissa Danubio has been named Student of the Month at Glen Rock High School, and Brendan Miller has been named Scholar Athlete of the Month and Student of the Month in business education. Student of the Month recognition also went to the following students: Jacob Levene, instrumental music and physical education; Katelyn Rauth, art; Christine Lynch, theater; Abby Beerman, English; Liam Haggerty, industrial arts; Patrick Hughes, mathematics; Morgan Rapkin, photography; Tim Miller, science, Chris Chapman, social studies; Jennifer Godfrey, technology; Adam Lawsky, vocal music; and Ji You Lee, world languages. Students of the Month are individuals whose teachers and peers evaluate them as the students who have made the most important contributions to the various academic subjects in that particular month at Glen Rock High School. ����������� Hair Care ������������������������������������������ ������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� �������������������� ��������� ������� � ����������� ��������� ��������� ��������������� ���������� ������� ��������������� �� ����������������������������������� �������������� ��������������������� ���������������������� WE’RE BACK Halloween Store 15 OFF www.MerryHalloween.com Choose from thousands of costumes & accessories Dogs - Infants - Kids - Teens - Adults Funny to Scary - Conservative to Sexy We Have It All AVO HIGHWID AYS ������������������� �������������������������� % all purchases through OCTOBER 31, 2009 We Accept All Competitors Coupons • Only one coupon per customer 201-891-9666 693 Wyckoff Avenue (Entrance by Wyckoff YMCA) 201-644-0285 350 Ramapo Valley Rd. (Rt.202) Oakland, NJ (Coppertree Mall) Just as you are reading this ad, others are reading your ad. The Villadom TIMES is Your Neighborhood Newspaper Newspape ADVERTISER: Wyckoff, NJ Call 201-652-0744 today for more information