Let government provide catastrophic health-care coverage, doctor says

Johns Hopkins University neurosurgeon and professor Benjamin Carson told hundreds of Utah's municipal leaders Wednesday that catastrophic health-care coverage should be turned over to the federal government.

The doctor found a sympathetic audience in those attending the Utah League of Cities and Towns autumn conference in the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City.

Leaving catastrophic care to the government would leave private insurances companies to cover only routine care, making costs predictable, Carson said. Eventually, individuals would be able to carry their own policies.

The doctor, author and motivational speaker also suggested common-sense solutions such as tort reform and computerization of medical records, supplemented by harsh punishments for medical fraud and a 5 percent tax on insurance-company profits.

Carson's remarks were spiced with jokes and encouraging stories about the value of education, teamwork and courage.

"The key to making progress in medicine or in anything else is learning from the things that didn't work and being able to move forward," he said. "There are logical ways to deal with these problems, and I think everybody needs to have a seat at the table."

Enterprise City Councilman Bart Merrill said, overall, Carson was right on.

"These things need to be looked at closer," Merrill said.

Farmington Mayor Scott Harbertson also agreed with the doctor, especially when Carson said the government can do some things right.

Beyond discussing health-care reform, Carson said the education of America's children has become a matter of national security.

Carson has set up a scholarship fund that gives $1,000 to elementary school children for getting good grades. The rags-to-riches neurosurgeon, plastic surgeon and oncologist said the country needs to change its priorities and fully utilize God-given intelligence.

"The human brain is just such a phenomenal organ," he said after rattling off the many neurological steps necessary to raise one's hand. "It is the most spectacular organ system in the universe. … Can you imagine what the human brain is capable of when we actually put our minds to something, when we actually start thinking about what we can do instead of what we can't do?"

The lunchtime speech was underpinned by what Carson said is his signature acronym for success: THINK BIG, which stands for Talent, Honesty, Insight, Nice, Knowledge, Books, In-depth study and God.

"What kind of world would we have if people thought of other people first?" he asked. "We're humans. We have the capacity to do that."

e-mail: rpalmer@desnews.com