The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-03-09

General Assembly last week which
was aimed at lowering the cost
of disqualification for the paying
customer of the hospitals of North
Carolina, By increasing state aid
for the care of charity cases to so
per cent of the hospitals costs.
BY increasing the amount that
the State Medical Care Commits
sion could contribute to the cost
of treating charity patients-the
Commissions contribution is now
81 per patient per day-the bill
would have the effect of lowering
the bills now being paid by paying
hospital patients. The difference
between the Medical Care Commits
sion's small contribution, plus the
contributions of charitable agen-
cies, and the actual cost of pa
tents care has to be made up
somehow and usually, it is the hos
pitaPs paying customers who have
had to bear this burden.
The North Carolina Hospital
Association recently released some
interesting statistics relating to
the number of days of hospital
care given to INDECENT patients in
North Carolina hospitals during
the year 1949 and the cost of such
care. The way this cost was met
in the hospitals at Belhaven, Eliz-.
abeth City and Washington is par
ticularly worth the attention Of
citizens of this section.
In the PungO District HOspit-
al at Belhaven during 1949, ac-
cOrding to N. c. Medical Care
Commission report, there was a
total of 1913 charity patient
days. The per diem cost was
1927, amounting, in all, to ST.
36O.63. The Medical Care Com
Missions contribution was 81
per day per patient, $1O3. Con-
tributiOn from the Duke EndOw-
ment was also $1O3. The X. B.
Reynolds Trust Fund contributed
$47.S9 to the cost. This left a
balance of $1,1O6.74 to be paid
for either by local city-cOunty
contributions or from other
sources.
At Elizabeth City the Abe
marie Hospital had 4,549 certified
charity-patient days in the same
year, with a per diem cost of
1857, and a total cost of $45,-
553.93. The NCMCC contribution
was $4,549; the Duke Endowment,
$3.50; the Reynolds Trust Fund,
$2,243.34 The balance to be met
by other sources was $S2,192.59.
Tayloe Hospital in Washington
gave 500 days of charity-patient
care in 1949, at a per diem cost
of $685., and a total cost of &c.
716.40. 1t received 1896 from the
Medical Care Commission, 1896
from the Duke Endowment and
$135.77 from the K. B. Reynolds
Trust. This left an unpaid balance
of $5,188.63.
Only publically-Owned hOspit-
ais receive aid for assistance to
INDECENT patients.
According to the N. C. Hospital
Associations report, the non-char-
ity patient is becoming the "for-
gotten man" in North Cardinals
health program. The Association
advocates more adequate State
payment for state-certifed indi-
gent hospital patients.
Needed and admirable progress
is being made, the report stated,
for securing more hospitals and
medical personnel to staff them,
but little attention is being paid
to the equally important question
of how the people can afford to go
to a hospital.
The non-charity patient is now
not only paying his own bill, but
is forced to pay part of state-cer-
titled charity patients, the report
said.
Double Taxation
This is double-taxation on the
sick persons family at the very
time it can least afford to carry
an extra burden. The only fair So
luton is for the care of charity
patients to be paid by all the peo-
pie through their local and state
governments.
A majority of local governments
usually the county but some
times the towns and cities also
are increasing their payments but
the State is standing still in the
amount of dollars it contributes
per certified INDECENT day and is
actually paying less in percentage
of costs.
In 1916 the average daily cost
for hospital care in North Caro-
lima was $6.17, making the States
contribution approximately 16 per
cent of the cost.
The average daily cost for
disqualification in North Caro-
Tina for 1851 and 1852 is con-
servatively estimated at $500.
The States present $1.OO a day