Posted: Monday, April 10, 2006 7:00 pm
Wednesday, the volunteer doctor of the day had a tiny helper. Dr. Carey Ford brought her 7-week-old daughter, Ellie, to the Capitol.
Little Ellie sat for a while in the Legislative Chamber, but spent most of her day with Mom in a nearby hearing room, where the two could relax, listen to debate on TV and talk with senators.
This was little Ellie’s first big outing and Mom stuffed every conceivable item she might need in the stroller.
Sally Gordon, sergeant of arms, also took the pair under her wing — bringing together the youngest person and the oldest person in the building that day. Gordon celebrated her 97th birthday in late March.
Dr. Mom had no medical emergencies during her tour of duty. But she did offer some dietary advice.
During the annual sausage luncheon (put on by grocery owner state Sen. Ray Janssen), Liquor Control Commissioner Hobert Rupe asked Dr. Ford which of the two desserts he should take.
“Both,” she told him. “That way you’ll keep me in business.”
Ford is finishing up her residency in family medicine at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine.
The doctor of the day is a 23-year tradition to provide access to medical advice to senators while they are away from their hometown family physician, said Marcia DeRoin, executive vice president of the Nebraska Academy of Family Physicians.
The statewide group recruits the volunteers. This year they had a volunteer each of the 60 days, DeRoin said.
The doctors build goodwill while they take blood pressure readings, diagnose colds and give a little advice.
Working families
use Medicaid
During debate on the Medicaid program, Omaha Sen. John Synowiecki pointed to a two-year-old report, indicating that more than 9,300 working Nebraska families have family members using the Medicaid system.
The report lists the 130 Nebraska employers that had at least 25 employees or one of the employee’s family members using the Medicaid system for health care, based on a 2004 report from the Health and Human Services System.
Most of the numbers represent employees’ children who are covered by the Medicaid program. The employee would not generally be eligible for Medicaid coverage and would presumably have purchased insurance through the company.
Some senators have said there are businesses that encourage employees to cover their children by getting them on the Medicaid system.
That’s to an employer’s advantage, because they generally pay a portion of the cost to provide employees or their family members health insurance.
Wal-Mart tops the list, with 654 families of employees using Medicaid. Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. was second with 548 families of employees using Medicaid, according to the report.
Other companies that had more than 100 employees using the Medicaid system were:
Mosaic (306), Swift Beef Company (245), Advance Services (226), Omaha Public Service (209), Beverly Health & Rehab Services (205), Good Samaritan Society (197), McDonald’s Restaurant of Nebraska (165), Lincoln Public Schools (140), Burger King of Omaha (137), Oriental Trading Company (137), HyVee Food Stores (125), West Telemarketing (124).
The report did not give the number of families using Medicaid where one parent works for a state agency.
Blue Bunny spotted
at Capitol
State lawmakers have taken heat in the past for eating dinners — normally offered just during the relative rare nights where the session runs late — paid for by lobbyists.
Now they have something to cool them off: free ice-cream snacks.
Alongside the leather furniture inside the stately senators’ lounge near the floor of the Legislature is a new adornment.
“It’s a chest freezer,” said Kathy Siefken of the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association.
The group helped arrange the placement of the freezer, which is emblazoned with the name of Iowa ice cream maker Wells’ Blue Bunny. The freezer contains seven of the company’s products. The company does the same thing for Iowa lawmakers.
“They thought the senators would like some ice cream” in the hot weather, said Siefken. The freezer has been in the lounge for just a few days. “They don’t lobby — it’s just a way of saying ‘Thanks for all you do.’”
A little comic relief
Last week, senators tackled a controversial, complicated natural gas war bill — a battle between between Aquila and Omaha’s Metropolitan Utility District over future service areas.
Even those in the midst of the battle said they were getting different and unreconcilable versions of the truth from lobbyist. So Sen. Carol Hudkins offered a light-hearted tribute to more simplicity: a natural gas joke.
A man was falling down toward earth. Another man was rising upward.
As they passed each other, the falling man yelled: “Do you know anything about parachutes?”
The man on his way up called back: “No, do you know anything about gas stoves?”
Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com. or Nate Jenkins at 473-7223 or njenkins@journalstar.com.