Letter to the Editor

New tax won't solve hospital system's problems

Monday, September 8, 2014

To the editor:

I think Mr. Logan's commentary on the hospital system leaves out a lot of "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."

1. The hospital in Blytheville and the one in Osceola are the Mississippi County Hospital System. Both are dependent upon tax money to stay open which means both are operating at a loss.

2. Anyone who has paid a bill at the hospital would not think they are not-for -profit enterprises. Just because they don't make a profit doesn't mean they couldn't. The employee parking lot in Blytheville is generally very full, while the patient/visitor parking lot is nearly empty. If they can't cover costs at the rates they charge, then cut costs.

3. If the hospital isn't covering the maintenance costs they are operating at a loss. "The hospital does not 'just want' the taxpayer money, it needs it" -- this is justification for a tax? The hospital is a business like any other and it needs to provide the economic justification for its existence. And, JL goes further and says, "We are not asking the taxpayers of the county to foot the bill for $9,751,000, We are asking for funding to begin to make some of the most urgent repairs." How many tax dollars has the hospital soaked up since Baptist Health Care left town? This request for funding will be just another in a long line covering many years. The hospital has fed off the public teat for so long now, it cannot, or will not, survive without it as structured.

JL asks, "How did we get here":

1. "The declining reimbursement rate for medical care." SO WHAT? Everybody is paying more for health care and getting less. It is incumbent upon health care providers to cut their costs to be competitive in the new environment.

2. "The population of the county is declining." Another SO WHAT! Does he think another tax increase is going to make people want to move to Mississippi County?

3. "The newest of the hospital additions were built in 1976, the buildings are old, out of date, out of code and in disrepair." Again, this is a cost of doing business, and this is not going away. The changing environment is a fact to be dealt with. Walmart builds new stores frequently to meet the market needs while providing competitive costs, take lessons from them.

4. "The Mississippi County Hospital System has been so poorly managed it has taken five years for the system to recover to the point where planning repairs has even become a possibility." And who is responsible for this? The Board of Directors is generally responsible for the management of an organization.

JL says "Mississippi County cannot afford to lose another valuable, absolutely necessary asset." I think Mr Logan has his terminology mixed up. The hospital system, as structured now, is a possession. If it was consolidated, downsized and streamlined to produce a profit, then it could become an asset. JL is meaning that Blytheville can't lose this business. We can't afford it, so keeping one hospital in Mississippi County is the next best option.

Mississippi County is saddled with supporting so many losing causes, we are losing population because of the tax burden. If John thinks adding another tax will turn the population problem around, then poor management of the hospital is not his only mistake. Now is the time to address this issue. Vote against the hospital tax or it will become a permanent tax to pay for a perpetually inefficient operation.

Johnny Hutchinson
Blytheville