Board of Directors Meeting, April 8, 1954 12
is coming to Phoenix next Friday night at which time there will be an attempt made to oppose the thing Phoenix is shoving at us now, but also attempt to base it on broader study than any of us have been able to give. As it now stands, it will have to be passed at the Blue Shield meeting of the House of Delegates, and it is our [ crossed out: opportunity ] hope that those of us in the medical field that are Delegates will oppose this, that we will prevent a plan like this passing.
Dr. Costin--Did you consider a deductible plan?
Dr. Engle--Yes--we thought of that the first night. That a $35.00 illness was not too much for a family. But Don Lau came up with the insurance angle on these things, and they did not work, that they would have doctors who would abuse those things, and would have the $50.00 run out the first day. They had a lot of insurance reasons for trying to put any form of medical service on a daily basis.
Dr. Costin--Even under Blue Shield no form will pass if the doctors do not cooperate.
Dr. Beaton--Will you group have a suggestion for the Delegates before the Delegates meeting on the 26th?
Dr. Engle--That is the purpose of the meeting and we hope to have.
Dr. Beaton--Would it not be best that the sense of this meeting be that we will be guided by the Tucson Chapter of the Society of Internal Medicine?
Dr. Kuhlman--who is the group that is pushing this thing?
Dr. Engle--It is really a funny setup [ crossed out: by the B ] but the Blue Shield invited us up. When we got there this original plan, which is bad on the face of it, which was adopted by their professional committee, Hastings, Thornburg, Dave James, and Wally Reid [ Reed ], they thought it was acceptable, and on the basis of that the Blue Shield office went ahead and put an actuary on the job, spent a lot of money to pay the actuarial costs, on this. 19 cents for an individual, or 45 cents for a family, for a month, which is supposed to pay for any care that takes them into the hospital. The funny thing is that they have a lot of internists who are doing G.P. [ general practice ] in Phoenix, but had only one there, and he sat there all night and did not open his mouth, so that they have not really brought it before the men who are affected.
Dr. Bernstein--We recall that they came down a year or so ago and invited us to a meeting and we were not prepared. The meeting was unsatisfactory and the only thing that can stop these things is the action of this Society, and if you can arrive at any conclusions before this meeting we will be very grateful to you. The machine is set up to work and it will go right down the line, if not stopped. What frightens me is the number of Blue Shield forms.
Dr. Engel--The Delegates from Tucson and possibly elsewhere too, we walk into a Blue Shield meeting without talking about what we would like to accomplish at such a meeting. We go in and stamp the stuff, and that is all. Everybody know that this meeting for Blue Shield is going to be held.
Dr. Lesemann--Would it be out of line to propose a motion that this Board of Directors is against the method as proposed and present it to our Delegates? Let us pass a Resolution against it now.
Dr. Beaton--We are the Delegates.
Dr. Bernstein--Let us wait for Dave to get the facts.
Dr. Beaton--Do you wish to provide for a Caucus of the Delegates of the Pima County Medical Society prior to the Blue Shield meeting on Sunday? Decide this matter at this time.
Dr. Kuhlman--Can anybody tell me whether this present Blue Shield that is on now is on double income basis? Is it effective now or not? We have not accepted it yet, have we?
Dr. Rudolph--I do not think so.
Dr. Bernstein--They are going to present this thing in no uncertain way--now, if we are opposed to it we ought to be ready before hand. I often mean to write them down and compare them.
Dr. Kuhlman--My own opinion on this income is that it will not do us any good and we are defeating in a certain way what it was originally set up for.
Dr. Beaton--However, it was sent out in questionnaire form to both doctors and patients, and got an 80% approval.
Dr. Engle--The organized opposition was started in Tucson. Jesse Hamer did not take any interest at all, just sat there.
Minutes of the Pima County Medical Society 1904-1954
