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Beaufort County is headed for another oversight failure
Beaufort County is headed for another oversight failure
There's been quite a bit of talk recently about ObamaCare. I saw a poll recently that said that two of every three Americans believe ObamaCare should be repealed. With the Supreme Court decision the debate now shifts back to Congress. But what many people don't realize is that we have a similar issue right here in Beaufort County. And if we are not careful, we will make the same bad decisions that the Supreme Court made and as have been made in the past right here in Beaufort County.
How we made bad decisions in the past is a good indicator of future bad decisions. History repeats itself. Or, why does not The Gang of Five ever learn from their past mistakes? Could it be that these people have never had to make a business decision?
Another Beaufort County Department is set up for failure because Commissioners refuse to examine the reasons for past failures. Past failures include the 196 million dollar US 17 Bypass or the "Road To Nowhere," the loss of the hospital, the 8 million dollar over run on the 33 million dollar school bond issue, the disaster at the Economic Development Commission, and the more than 2,000 surplus school seats we have in a 7,000 pupil school system. These are just a few of the big deal items.
I cannot tell when it will happen but failure is on the way with the Health Department.
The Beaufort County Health Department has completed a "Strategic Planning Process". The report which came out a few weeks ago gives a mission statement "Protecting public health and enhancing the quality of life by striving to improve the health and wellness of he community." This report has five pages. There are many ways these goals can be accomplished without spending a lot of money. As long as we stick with public health, the cost is reasonable. Public health deals with things like venereal diseases, tuberculosis, food safety, information on nutrition, mass inoculations for publicly transmitted diseases like flu, whooping cough and mosquito control. A reasonable way to look at public health is that it is a program that impacts the public or to put it another way, it impacts everyone.
Beaufort County Commissioner Hood Richardson speaks to the folks who care to understand at a candidates forum at Beaufort County Community College, April 2, 2012: Above. photo by Stan Deatherage
The mission of the Beaufort County Public Health Program is certainly one that needs to be debated. And it needs to be an informed debate. The question is: Are we going to shift from public health to private health care delivery?
As with ObamaCare, the fundamental issue with "public health" is whether the government is going to be responsible for our health care or whether individuals exercising their right to obtain health care from private sources is the way we are going to provide health care. It is more than "who pays." It is who makes the decisions, particularly the decisions of what kind of care is provided, how it is provided, who provides the care and who pays for that care.
We need to debate whether we are willing to allow government bureaucrats to make our health care decisions for us. "Free" health care may be appealing, but we need to always remember there is no such thing as a "free lunch." If you let the government provide your lunch the government is going to eventually determine what you eat. Pretty soon, as we have seen, they set up a "food police" system to enforce it.
During the past several years, public health has not been the focus of our Health Department. Rather, the shift has been to replacing privately controlled health care with government controlled health care for individuals, not the general public.
The report does not make the reader aware that the effort is shifting to providing private health services under the guise that these services are not available in the community. There is no accounting of the services now provided to the public and no data on the number of private patients now served. Therefore, there is no way for the public to form sound conclusions about the adequacy of the services now being provided. As a mater of fact the reader could easily conclude, from the absence of data, that no services are provided.
Most of the information in the Report is innocent sounding unless one takes the time to understand what the real meaning is in light of the personal services now being provided. For example the statement that one of the strengths is "Access to a bilingual Staff". Translated, that means that more and more illegals will receive free health care a tax payer expense. The Health Department does provide health care and does have Medicaid provider numbers. This means that they collect money from the Federal Government for services and also have the liability that goes with it. That means the County tax payers have the liability. Because we are a government entity providing health services, any profit made in collecting fees must be spent on give-away health programs.
Among the weaknesses listed in the report is: "Limited billing due to the inability to become a network provider with insurance companies." They only need this if they are providing personal health services. Public health services for the most part are free. There are plenty of hospitals and doctors in Beaufort County. We do not need to be providing personal health services. But this "need" is actually a prelude to the Health Department competing with private providers. Is that what we want? Will that lead to better health care?
Another clue about the personal health care business is the stated weakness "No electronic medical and health records due to lack of HIS readiness". Electronic records are required only when personal health services are provided. Are we a public health agency or a personal health agency? Clearly there is a transition taking place. Who should decide whether this is a good move or not?
The first item under threats is "Political issues often give negative tone to efforts of Public Health". This is a mis-statement. My complaints have to do with the wool that is being pulled over the tax payers eyes. Neither the County nor the taxpayers have ever asked for personal health services to be dispensed by the Health Department. We have asked the health Department to provide public health as required by the North Carolina General Statutes. This characterization of the issue as "political" simply means they are resenting accountability to the taxpayers. They apparently think the bureaucrats should be left to make these decisions. But they expect the taxpayers to pick up the tab.
Another set up to dig deeper into the public purse is the statement "Due to fewer numbers of staff, many must assume multiple roles and may have to work extended hours in order to provide essential services". This is a clear warning that as they see more patients they will pay overtime and then ask for more staff. If they were providing only public health they would not need overtime or additional staff.
The red flags that come with lack of oversight are there. These include: a protective umbrella that presumes our bureaucrats and appointed board know best and we only need to protect the personality of our hired leader, money is not important because we are doing "good," a failure to ask questions or investigate, failure to set policy because our hired bureaucrat and board know all there is to know, put down attacks by anyone who dares to raise questions, and distorting facts to the point of falsehood. It is a train wreck waiting to happen.
The same liabilities that go with a medical practice or hospital services go with the present private/personal health services provided by the Health Department. Should we get lawsuits or claims to repay funds from insurance companies or the Federal Government the taxpayers of Beaufort County will pay the bill.
We are on the road to creating a huge health welfare system and few understand this, nor are we debating whether this is the road we want Beaufort County to travel. We are taking an un-necessary risk for which there is no reward. When disaster comes, The Gang of Five will handle this the same as in the past, by pleading ignorance and reliance on others who let them down.
Unless challenged by the public and the Commissioners, the Health Department report will stand as a blue print for catastrophe.
The County Commissioners are responsible for the many failures we have had in the past. The tax payers are unbelievably forgiving considering the very poor service they have been given and the money that has been wasted. At the end of the day all the expense will come out of Beaufort County taxpayers' pockets.
Taxpayers should take note. And in the final analysis we need to decide whether we want to turn over control of our health care to government bureaucrats, even more than we already have.
Go Back
There's been quite a bit of talk recently about ObamaCare. I saw a poll recently that said that two of every three Americans believe ObamaCare should be repealed. With the Supreme Court decision the debate now shifts back to Congress. But what many people don't realize is that we have a similar issue right here in Beaufort County. And if we are not careful, we will make the same bad decisions that the Supreme Court made and as have been made in the past right here in Beaufort County.
How we made bad decisions in the past is a good indicator of future bad decisions. History repeats itself. Or, why does not The Gang of Five ever learn from their past mistakes? Could it be that these people have never had to make a business decision?
Another Beaufort County Department is set up for failure because Commissioners refuse to examine the reasons for past failures. Past failures include the 196 million dollar US 17 Bypass or the "Road To Nowhere," the loss of the hospital, the 8 million dollar over run on the 33 million dollar school bond issue, the disaster at the Economic Development Commission, and the more than 2,000 surplus school seats we have in a 7,000 pupil school system. These are just a few of the big deal items.
I cannot tell when it will happen but failure is on the way with the Health Department.
The Beaufort County Health Department has completed a "Strategic Planning Process". The report which came out a few weeks ago gives a mission statement "Protecting public health and enhancing the quality of life by striving to improve the health and wellness of he community." This report has five pages. There are many ways these goals can be accomplished without spending a lot of money. As long as we stick with public health, the cost is reasonable. Public health deals with things like venereal diseases, tuberculosis, food safety, information on nutrition, mass inoculations for publicly transmitted diseases like flu, whooping cough and mosquito control. A reasonable way to look at public health is that it is a program that impacts the public or to put it another way, it impacts everyone.
The mission of the Beaufort County Public Health Program is certainly one that needs to be debated. And it needs to be an informed debate. The question is: Are we going to shift from public health to private health care delivery?
As with ObamaCare, the fundamental issue with "public health" is whether the government is going to be responsible for our health care or whether individuals exercising their right to obtain health care from private sources is the way we are going to provide health care. It is more than "who pays." It is who makes the decisions, particularly the decisions of what kind of care is provided, how it is provided, who provides the care and who pays for that care.
We need to debate whether we are willing to allow government bureaucrats to make our health care decisions for us. "Free" health care may be appealing, but we need to always remember there is no such thing as a "free lunch." If you let the government provide your lunch the government is going to eventually determine what you eat. Pretty soon, as we have seen, they set up a "food police" system to enforce it.
During the past several years, public health has not been the focus of our Health Department. Rather, the shift has been to replacing privately controlled health care with government controlled health care for individuals, not the general public.
The report does not make the reader aware that the effort is shifting to providing private health services under the guise that these services are not available in the community. There is no accounting of the services now provided to the public and no data on the number of private patients now served. Therefore, there is no way for the public to form sound conclusions about the adequacy of the services now being provided. As a mater of fact the reader could easily conclude, from the absence of data, that no services are provided.
Most of the information in the Report is innocent sounding unless one takes the time to understand what the real meaning is in light of the personal services now being provided. For example the statement that one of the strengths is "Access to a bilingual Staff". Translated, that means that more and more illegals will receive free health care a tax payer expense. The Health Department does provide health care and does have Medicaid provider numbers. This means that they collect money from the Federal Government for services and also have the liability that goes with it. That means the County tax payers have the liability. Because we are a government entity providing health services, any profit made in collecting fees must be spent on give-away health programs.
Among the weaknesses listed in the report is: "Limited billing due to the inability to become a network provider with insurance companies." They only need this if they are providing personal health services. Public health services for the most part are free. There are plenty of hospitals and doctors in Beaufort County. We do not need to be providing personal health services. But this "need" is actually a prelude to the Health Department competing with private providers. Is that what we want? Will that lead to better health care?
Another clue about the personal health care business is the stated weakness "No electronic medical and health records due to lack of HIS readiness". Electronic records are required only when personal health services are provided. Are we a public health agency or a personal health agency? Clearly there is a transition taking place. Who should decide whether this is a good move or not?
The first item under threats is "Political issues often give negative tone to efforts of Public Health". This is a mis-statement. My complaints have to do with the wool that is being pulled over the tax payers eyes. Neither the County nor the taxpayers have ever asked for personal health services to be dispensed by the Health Department. We have asked the health Department to provide public health as required by the North Carolina General Statutes. This characterization of the issue as "political" simply means they are resenting accountability to the taxpayers. They apparently think the bureaucrats should be left to make these decisions. But they expect the taxpayers to pick up the tab.
Another set up to dig deeper into the public purse is the statement "Due to fewer numbers of staff, many must assume multiple roles and may have to work extended hours in order to provide essential services". This is a clear warning that as they see more patients they will pay overtime and then ask for more staff. If they were providing only public health they would not need overtime or additional staff.
The red flags that come with lack of oversight are there. These include: a protective umbrella that presumes our bureaucrats and appointed board know best and we only need to protect the personality of our hired leader, money is not important because we are doing "good," a failure to ask questions or investigate, failure to set policy because our hired bureaucrat and board know all there is to know, put down attacks by anyone who dares to raise questions, and distorting facts to the point of falsehood. It is a train wreck waiting to happen.
The same liabilities that go with a medical practice or hospital services go with the present private/personal health services provided by the Health Department. Should we get lawsuits or claims to repay funds from insurance companies or the Federal Government the taxpayers of Beaufort County will pay the bill.
We are on the road to creating a huge health welfare system and few understand this, nor are we debating whether this is the road we want Beaufort County to travel. We are taking an un-necessary risk for which there is no reward. When disaster comes, The Gang of Five will handle this the same as in the past, by pleading ignorance and reliance on others who let them down.
Unless challenged by the public and the Commissioners, the Health Department report will stand as a blue print for catastrophe.
The County Commissioners are responsible for the many failures we have had in the past. The tax payers are unbelievably forgiving considering the very poor service they have been given and the money that has been wasted. At the end of the day all the expense will come out of Beaufort County taxpayers' pockets.
Taxpayers should take note. And in the final analysis we need to decide whether we want to turn over control of our health care to government bureaucrats, even more than we already have.
| Diane Rufino Defends Nullification and her "Gray Matter" | The Hood Territory, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics | Talking points |
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