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Wednesday, August 18, 1976
University Dally Kansan
Health services cost less at KU
By CORA MARQUIS
Students at the University of Kansas are not as hard-hit by health care costs as students at the University of Missouri.
Costs of health care in the United States take a dime out of every dollar of the average American's income, a report by the Price Stability Institute and Price Stability issued last spring stated.
According to Martin Wolmann, director of student health services, at Watkins Student Health Center the KU student can get health care services at Watkins Student Health Center at only 3.9 per cent more per health care service unit than students nationally. American paid 29.9 per cent more than they did three years ago.
A SERVICE unit is each separate service performed for a patient visiting Watkins. For example, a student may receive, on the same visit, several service units from a therapist. The student may also note that the average visitor to Watkins received three and a half service units each visit.
In 1975 Americans spent an average of $47 per person for health care, according to U.S. News & World Report. KU students have many of their health care costs covered by the health fee of $38.50 which all full-time students pay as part of their
Wollmann explained that the fee was care health care offered at Walkings.
Students who have paid the health fee can attend at Watkins at no additional charge.
FOR EXAMPLE, he can see a doctor at no additional charge. Visits to the doctor cost Americans about $20 in 1975, U.S. News and World Report stated.
A student can also have on-premise lab work done at no additional charge. The student must be charged for work done for Watkins patients was done on the premises; if the lab work had to be done out, the student was billed for the amount outside source charged Watkins for the lab work.
Four visits to mental health services at Watkins and four visits to the physical therapy services at Watkins are other visits in the pre-paid health fee, Wolmann said.
He said there were three reasons that costs at Watkins were not as high as costs at Lennar.
ONE REASON is that most of the services given at Walkins are out-patient services.
Watkins can gear its equipment for one age group's needs.
at Watkins this year, only about 750 will be hospitalized overnight he said. This cuta
Room fee at Watkins is $23 nightly. At most hospital rooms are $60 and up.
Another factor in the lower health service costs at Watkins is that the health service is dealing with a specialized population of approximately the same age. That allows the hospital to gear its equipment to that age group's needs, Wollmann said.
Equipment for heart surgery, for example, would be used only once or twice yearly, because the need for it for the college-age group is minimal. For that reason, equipment should be maintained such equipment. These services are readily available in the area, he said.
WOLLMANN SAID a third reason for lower service costs at Watkins was that the staff worked 60 to 80 hours weekly at the clinic, many of those of doctors in private practice.
"We have a very dedicated and hard-working staff," he said.
fee, Wollmann said. Most students or their parents have insurance that covers them. The health fee is designed to cover those who are mostly covered by insurance policies, he said.
Not all services are covered by the health
For example, the emergency room visit is normally covered by insurance if the visit is
Prescription drugs cost less at Watkins than at most retail pharmacies.
the result of an accident. Therefore, he said, the charge is $5 if it's the result of an accident, in which case the person's insurance policy must be paid. A $10 or more for emergency room visits.
OTHER HEALTH care items not covered by the health fee include X-rays, medications, latex gloves to be sent in emergency surgery. More than one patient is not performed at Watkins, be said.
Prescription drugs, although not covered by the health fee, cost less at Watkins than at most retail pharmacies. The overhead of running the pharmacy at Watkins is pre-payment for all outpatient retail pharmacy couldn't operate on a pre-payment, non-profit basis, he said.
Another reason for the reduced price of prescription drugs is that Watkins is able to take advantage of state bids on drugs through the KU Medical Center, he said.
"We know in advance pretty much which will be in use in large quantities," he said.
THE MED Center sends out bids to pharmaceutical companies for those drugs to be purchased in large quantities and enables Watkins to buy at lower prices. Those savings are passed on to the student, he said.
The difference between Watkins' and national health care costs is not due solely to low prices at Watkins. In some instances national costs are simply higher than they need to be, according to a report issued last week by the Department's Council on Wage and Price Stability.
It said of the American patient that he "was a passive participant" in the health metrics.
The patient has little or no chance to shop around for better or cheaper alternatives to the course of treatment that his physician prescribes, the report stated. Nor does he have much chance to compare drug prices before having a prescription filled, it stated.
IN AN attempt to compare Watkins' price of 100 capsules of tetracycline, a commonly prescribed antibiotic, it was possible to find only one retail drugstore, of the six contacted, willing to reveal its price of the drug. Watkins sells 100 capsules of tetracycline for $3.20. Super-X Drugs sells the same prescription for $3.20.
KU law students give legal aid to prisoners
By KAREN SALISBURY
and KATHY SOKOL Staff Writers
"Prisoners are the first persons to have their civil rights eroded," Jay McFenade, a student director of the Kansas Defender Project, said.
McFadden is one of 15 law students who act as legal advocates for indigent prisoners in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, Lansing State Penitentiary and the Kansas Correctional Institute for Women as part of their academic work in criminal law.
The program, developed by Paul Wilson, University of Kansas professor of law, was the first law school clinic in corrective practice. Browning, faculty director of the project.
"Programs like the defender projects are starting to spring up all across the country. Other schools followed KU's example," Crabtree said.
"Wilson initiated the legal aid of prisoners since KU is close to Leavenworth
Mike Crabtree, also a student director of the project, said there was a continual need for more training.
Most cases concern prisoners wanting a change in their convictions or alleging mistreatment while in prison, Browning said.
He said students in the project searched for post-conviction remedies, and provided legal services for prisoners, such as bail, housing and claims and parole and erablation properties.
Crabtree will be the first law student in the project to be certified under the student practice rule to appear in court as a legal advocate, McFadden said.
The student's involvement in the case usually ends when counsel is appointed and a hearing is granted, although he may offer assistance to the attorney. Browning said.
Browning said frivolous litigation was discouraged when students found that prisoners didn't have a good basis for a case.
However, that is not the case when the prisoner's claims are well-founded,
"We'll take the case where ever we have to take it," he said.
Browning said one example was a case ruled on in April by the U.S. Supreme Court that was initiated for a prisoner by Larry the former, KU student with the project in 1973.
The case, United States v. MacColum, was concerned with whether indigent federal prisoners have a right to their trial transcripts when challenging a conviction.
See DEFENDERS page 5
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