The Medical Chickens are Coming Home to Roost | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's note: This post appears courtesy of the Beaufort Observer.

    Within the last 7 or 8 years the Washington Beaufort Chamber of Commerce the Belhaven Chamber of Commerce along with an assortment of Beaufort County's self-appointed-smart-guys and intellectuals were preaching the merits of welcoming a single non profit provider to give medical services across the entire county.

    The medical community supported Vidant whole heartedly because they wanted nice cushy jobs they could do on their assigned shift. No more running a business to earn a living. A lot of benefits came with these jobs. After all Vidant was a non profit so they had to be better than those nasty old for profit hospitals and doctor's offices. Today, Vidant controls all doctors and medical services. with the exception of a few urgent care offices in Beaufort County. They are a monopoly.

    The reason those jobs and benefits are so cushy is that non profits charge the same if not more than for profit hospitals. So, there is more money to divide up among the elite staff. There is also more opportunity to have less efficient operations because there is no competitor to compare charges and quality of service with.

    The two Chambers of Commerce along the local intelligentsia did not want to hear about how competition keeps down costs and provides better service, They told a lot fake stories to obtain their nonprofit monopoly..

    All of us dummies with a little bit o common sense always knew that monopolies always give lower service at a higher cost.

    This week Blue Cross (another monopoly) announced that certain insurance policy classifications rates would be increased 20 percent in the eastern and western ends of North Carolina. The central part of the state will be reduced by 9 percent. That is a 29 percent difference. Here is the reason. There is little or no completion in the eastern and western ends of the state. So, prices are higher and insurance rates have to be raised.

    Voters have an opportunity, in the November elections, to remove from public office one of the ring leaders in bringing higher medical costs to eastern North Carolina.

    Fake Frankie Waters also known as King Frankie and Zip Code Waters is running for election as a Beaufort County Commissioner. Fake Frankie's political sins are as follows. Sin Number One. Actively and openly supported Vidant taking over all medical services in Beaufort County. Sin Number Two. Supported sending the building inspector to Belhaven to do what turned out to be an illegal inspection of the Belhaven hospital that resulted in the restraining order being lifted which caused the building to be demolished within hours. Sin Number Three. While a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees fo Beaufort County Hospital he failed to install good management practices contributing to the bankruptcy of the hospital. Sin Number 4. Voted to dissolve the hospital trust fund, converted the proceeds to the Beaufort County treasury, meaning we have no backup should Vidant fail in Beaufort County.

    We need to keep in mind that Federal Government payments for medical care are based on Socialism and can be radically changed to put operations like Vidant at risk.