Come together on health care

Your doctor thinks that you need an operation but can’t order the operation or send you to a specialist. Your doctor must call someone sitting in a cubicle a thousand miles away, to get permission. The doctors who work at the insurance companies get bonuses for denying the most number of claims.

There are people in the health-care industry who have a conscience, and Dr. Linda Peeno, a former medical reviewer at Humana, is one of them. She was let go because she wasn’t denying enough claims.

On May 30, 1996, Peeno testified before Congress. She stated: "I am here primarily today to make a public confession. In the spring of 1987, as a physician, I denied a man a necessary operation that would have saved his life and thus caused his death. No person and no group has held me accountable for this because, in fact, what I did was I saved a company a half a million dollars."

This lucrative system began back in the early ’70s with Richard Nixon. Secret Nixon tapes, which are played in Michael Moore’s documentary "Sicko," confirm that John Ehrlichman, Nixon’s assistant for domestic affairs, spoke to him about the idea of HMOs. Nixon didn’t want to hear anything about medical stuff, but Ehrlichman insists it’s private enterprise. Insurance companies had come up with an idea of providing less care, which allowed them to make more money. Nixon liked the idea and that is how modern-day HMOs began.

Nine million of the 43.6 million Americans who are uninsured are children. You would think that in America no child should have to worry about not being able to see a doctor simply because his parents can’t afford it. We should at least be able to find common ground on this issue.

Jim O’Leary
Delhi

There are a number of local businesses that have made it a habit to charge sales tax for services rendered. I believe that consumers are being charged for sales tax that is not required by New York state. Sales tax is supposed to be charged on tangible goods, not services. For example: I hire someone to paint my house. I purchase the paint through this individual. I should be charged sales tax on the paint but not the time billed to paint my house. In this case, the "service" is not a taxable item.

I don’t necessarily place blame on the vendor/establishment _ most simply don’t know any better and have never checked with their accountant. When vendors pay sales tax collected to the state, their accountants will most likely figure what’s due based on tangible items sold. This could mean that the vendor is pocketing sales tax collected on service provided rather than paying it to the state.

Secondly, we pay enough in taxes. The vendor may in fact be paying sales tax to the state when it is not required.

I have been keenly aware of this practice, and you’d be surprised how often it occurs. One would be wise to keep an eye on all invoices to make certain you are not being taxed on services rendered.

Vendors should double-check with their accountants or New York State Department of Taxation prior to making any changes to their accounting and bookkeeping practices.

Stay alert. Don’t overpay for something that is not required by state law.

David Perazone
Oneonta