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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 7, 1992                   TAG: 9202070384
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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CUTTING HOSPITAL INCOME WILL HURT JOBS, SERVICES

WE ARE ANGERED by Gov. Wilder's proposed tax on hospital revenues. Our hospital [Lewis-Gale] not only provides service to Medicaid and charity patients, it has responsibly paid more than $34 million in taxes over the last 10 years.

These tax dollars benefit all Roanoke Valley residents. Additionally, charitable gifts to the community were more than $80,000 in 1991 alone.

Taxing hospitals to fund Medicaid makes about as much sense as taxing supermarkets to fund the food-stamp program. In either case, this illogical tax would funnel money from Southwest Virginia into the Northern Virginia Tidewater area.

There are other options available. For a short-term fix, use the money sitting unclaimed in the Neurologically Impaired Infant Fund ($41 million). For continuous support, increase taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. To reduce the problem over the long haul, provide more jobs for Virginians.

Decreasing hospital revenues will have the same impact on hospitals that it had on Dominion Bank: fewer jobs and fewer medical services. We will not vote for Gov. Wilder or anyone who supports this program; this program is a health hazard. ROBIN BARNHILL JUDY BAKER ROANOKE

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