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Read the 4 . . , - McHenry Plaindealer! jewnaBPii WHAT S NEW /IW\ PAGE 16 PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2,1961 become a licensed plumber, you must first serve as a licensed apprentice. Following the ap­ prenticeship period, a person is tested on his knowledge of pneumatics and hydraulics, as well as his skill in installing plumbing. If you want to repair a minor plumbing problem in your home, there is nothing, in -the state law that says you may not install, alter or repair the plumbing in your own single-family home. The law does prohibit you however, from doing any plumbing work in someone else's house, even if you own the house and are renting it out. Also, under Illinois law, if you do any plumbing in your own home it must be in­ spected and must comply with the Illinois Plumbing Code. So, a do-it-yourself plumber better know what's in the Code before he begins. One wrong connection by an amateur plumber could result in the contamination of the drinking water in one household, in the whole neighborhood, or, maybe even an entire city. If you want more in­ formation on the Illinois Plumbing Code, contact the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Engineering, 535 West Jefferson, Springfield, 111., 62761. Super Glue Solvent The use of super glues has brought a big problem . . . how to get it unstuck. Bon- do Instant Glue Remover dissolves bonds as well as removing glue from skin, ceramics, plastics, rubber5 and glass. From Dynatron/ Bondo Corp., 2160 Hills Ave. N.W., Atlanta, Ga. 30318 or hardware stores. Past 65 by Car! Rlblet Jr. Q "My wife and 1 tifilh needed supplementary health insurance and we took out two policies that-cost us $700 a year We thought the policies would cover everything that. Medicare didn't cover because that is what 'he salesman said. But he deceived us. We received only $4h from those two policies tor $500 in medical and hospital bills What are people like us going to do'?" - - Eugene v). A In the two-years of life of this column Past 65", thousands of elders nave written letters of outrage, frustration, confusion, and tears in their sometimes unrewarded efforts to insure themselves in a way sup­ plementary to the coverage they receive from Medicare. The let 'erc are a kind of indictment against the in­ surance industry and the insurance salespersons who sell al l kinds of policies, whether for ijfe. casualty, or health insurance to those who are under t>0 or 65, and against those relat ively few who mi i medical-help policies to the aging The only eotK-i'.isif>n one can drftA is tho insurance industiy gen**i.i!i) is not fulfilling its obligations to the American people. .They could^if I) e\ tried, by in­ stituting^ fa i dealing in in­ surance* t ' . i r iders They could giw soiut , worthwhile advice t" <>l! elders who want insurant e rhei*' ai t two. kinds of health insurance policies, each load* d \ith line print. One is t|><> [-ohcy that offers so-called wiv,r benefits. The other offers indemnity benefits A service-benefit polio pass inn. a percentage of e ,4 s not met by Medical e An indemnity- benefii policy is the one that fool-; penult aIio are ied to belies-e 1 deceitful salespe- so.,. ;i>i-i brochures, that ih'j indemnity policy covers everything Medicare doesn't. For instance: for a doctor's visit to the.hospital, (in 1980) $3; for emergency room treatment, $10; for a private room for one day, $8. If it weren't so outrageous, it would be ridiculous. The first thing to know iif studying health insurance needs for elders - Medigap - is to understand Medicare. It wasn't designed to be all- inclusive. It covers, but it doesn't cover completely. It is necessary to understand that Medicare pays 80 percent of* reasonable medical charges. The key word is "reasonable." , For a doctor's bill of $100, Medicare may consider $75 a reasonable charge and pay 80 percent of that, or $60. The patient must pay the dif­ ference between reasonable ($60) and actual ($100). Those provisions are the most commonly misun­ derstood aspect of Medicare. Medicare pays all but the first $180 of a hospital bill. I have never heard of a policy" that pays everything Medicare doesn't. The elder covered by Medicare needs sup­ plementary health insurance if he wants to be adequately covered. He must beware of mail-order policies because they are frequently in­ demnity policies, or dread- disease policies (cancer insurance). He will study the fine print, blink his straining eyes, sigh, and look for advice. But where? Solid, expert and com­ passionate advice is hard to get. I have met with in­ surance people on different occasions in an effort to learn just which insurance policies are honest and adequate. I came to realize that most of the reliable companies don't really like to sell supplementary in­ surance on an individual basis to elders. There just ain't enough money in it, as the man said. But something, some day, will force the insurance companies that are big and rich and, reliable to do something to*"protect the millions of elders who are such a large part of our population. One thing they could do is set up a protective umbrella under which all health policies are studied, made simple, and cleansed of the fine print. Anybody selling such a policy could then cliim it is approved by a national health insurance council as offering fair, reasonable and un­ derstandable insurance for elders. The next thing would be formation in every com­ munity of a board of in­ surance men that would explain policies presetned to them by elders for un­ derstanding. A group that would charge a small fee to the prospective insurance buyer. The result would be something like a miracle. State laws that lay down rules for insurance salespersons and are in­ tended to stop deceit, would then be obeyed. Elders could buy insurance that they understand. Insurance people would help their own special business because they would be making friends everywhere. New friends make new insurance business, v Something Jias to be done. If it isn't done, old people are going to- ^continue tO/t>e frightened/^ and < legally robbed of large chuhks of their reduced incomes. Q. "I voted for Reagan but now I don't think I should have. He doesn't seem to understand what senior citizens need, which is a feeling of security. Why do political leaders all say one thing before election nd then give us a kick in the pants afterwards?" - Melvin Z. A. My neighbor down the road, a retired Wyoming cowboy nd horse wrangler who spends much of his time raking and scraping and piling back of his barn, has the answer. He thinks that success in politics is entirely a matter of shoveling. The side that shovels the moat and the farthest being certain to win, no matter how thick the other side spreads it. _ Q. "I worked hard all my "life as a housewife and mother and my late husband worked * himself into his grave. Jret I am not living as well as I did ten years ago. And I don't know where we made the mistakes." - Bessie R. A. Bessie is so right. She had discoverd what most of us past 65 have learned - that while at 65 we don't understand any better than we did at 45 how to live, at 65 we know it. • Q. "I am writing for my sister Lena who is 76. Her first husband died 41 years ago. She remarried 25 years ago to a man 15 years younger than she is. He still works in the steel mill. Can she claim Social Security from her dead - first husband's account? She never had a job. She is bedridden with a stroke." - Sister to Lena. A. Lena cannot obtain benefits fromA her first husband's account if she married again before she was 60, which apparently she did. However, the sister might inquire of SS how she can apply for disability income; although it must be presumed that if her working husband can sup­ port her, she won't be able to qualify. Write to Carl Riblet Jr. w i t h s e l f - a d d r e s s e d , stamped envelope at Box 40757, Tucson, Ariz., 85717 if you are seeking the answer to a specific question on the problems of aging. All let­ ters will be answered, if possible. No identities are revealed. CBE Begins Assault On Disposal of Wastes Keepin' Healthy petit! Citizens for a Better Environment (CBE) has announced the beginning of a major assault on the un­ necessary land-disposal of hazardous wastes in Illinois. Acting under a law passed by the General Assembly in the spring of 1980, CBE has itioned the Illinois Control Board prohibit the burial liflcation of wastes known as chlorinated solvents in any landfill within the state. According to Martin Wojcik, president of CBE, the Chicago-based en­ vironmental group decided to bring this issue to the PCB because citizens were frustrated over the lack of attention being given the new law by governmental agencies. "Though the bill has been in effect for some time now, citizens and citizens groups, who worked so hard to get this legislation enacted have been totally frustrated by the lack of interest in doing anything with the law being exhibited by state officals. So, we decided to take the matter in to our own hands." W o j c i k c a u t i o n e d , however, that this is just the first step, for the Pollution Control Doard can take as long as several years to act on a petition. "It will be up to all of us to see that the pressure's kept on them and that the system's made to work." New Law Rewards Good State Drivers Kept Clean The canvas, plastic and cord webbing on outdoor furniture can be kept clean with warm detergent or soap suds and brisk scrubbing. Always rinse well, and wipe off excess water. Secretary of State Jim Edgar has praised the signing of legislation per­ mitting his office to exempt drivers without traffic convictions for a period of at least three years from taking the written examination when their licenses are renewed. The legislation (House Bill 808), sponsored by Clarence Darrow, was signed by Gov. Thompson and goes into effect July 1, 1982. "This new law rewards those personsfwho have demonstrated an ability to drive safely. Good drivers should be rewarded and their efforts recognized," Edgar said. "The law should also serve as an incentive to others to practice safe driving habits. We should do everything we can to encourage traffic safety, and this law is an excellent example of how we can encourage Illinois motorists to drive safely." Edgar said approximately 21 percent of the 1.3 million persons whose licenses are renewed annually would qualify for the exemption. All Illinois drivers are required to renew their driver licenses every three years and all are presently required to take written and vision tests once every nine years. The new law does not affect those persons age 69 and over, who are required to take all three examinations each time their licenses are renewed. The Veterans Ad­ ministration is reminding veterans and their depen­ dents not to let a lost document prevent them from applying for a VA benefit. The agency will accept a certified statement from applicants in instances where documents needed to establish eligibility for benefits are lost. by Mary Richards Sanitation might be considered almost the mother of today's state health department. In Illinois, the first local Board of Health was established in Quincy in 1833 when the city was hit with a cholera e p i d e m i c . C h i c a g o established a health department in 1867 when cholera hit that city. The state health department was founded in 1877 and was assigned two tasks: license physicians and prevent disease through sanitation. Physicians are now licensed by the Department of Registration and Education, but the prevention of disease through sanitation is ac­ complished through a number of Illinois Depart­ ment of Public Health programs, one of the most important of which is plumbing. The department establishes the rules and regulations for the in­ stallation of plumbing and licensing off plumbers. Plumbing that is not properly installed can cause wide-spread disease - even epidemics. Back-siphonage, back pressure or cross- connections can result in disease organisms entering our drinking water. Or, toxic gases can escape if plum­ bing is not installed correctly. Proper design, construction and installation of plumbing systems are essential for the protection of the health of the public. The safest way to be sure that your plumbing is in­ stalled or repaired properly is to have the work done by a licensed plumber. If you don't know a licensed plumber, look in the yellow pages of your telephone book. If a plumber has a license, the Illinois state license number will be in­ cluded in the advertisement. Under Illinois law, to