Page 14/The Battalion/Tuesday, April 19, 1983
Businesses seek to curb
rising
health care costs
United Press International
NEW YORK — All over the
industrialized world business
firms are seeking ways to con
tain skyrocketing health costs
for workers.
That means, among other
things, that unions not only will
have a harder time winning
additional benefits for workers
but may face pressure to cut
back on those they already have.
The fear on the part of man
agement is that, unless costs are
contained, they will become un
bearable and health plans will
break down.
Milliman 8c Robertson Inc.,
of Seattle, one of the country’s
largest employee benefit consul
tants, says U.S. health care costs
hit $286.6 billion or 9.8 percent
of the Gross National Product in
1981, up from 5.3 percent in
I960.
But Milliman & Robertson
said for some American com
panies the increases have been
running at 20 to 25 percent a
year.
William Mercer Inc., a New
York consulting firm in the
field, made a survey last fall and
got 1,400 responses predicting
an 18 percent average jump in
worker health costs this year.
Mercer said that’s four times the
rate of inflation at the time of
the survey.
Mercer International recent
ly held a symposium in New
York for U.S.-based multina
tionals on health care costs in
Europe. Those attending re
ported a more critical rise across
the Atlantic than in the United
States.
Between 1970 and 1979,
health care costs in European
countries jumped from 9.5 to
12.6 percent of most countries’
GNP on the average and the in
crease has accelerated since.
In the United States, rising
health care costs can bctij
to some extent on poor
munication about the
tween employers and w
said Johnson & Higgins
York, another large empl
benefit consulting firm,
J&H Vice President
McKoy said many Amt
companies are too niggan
spending money onthist)
communication.
The result is the w
don’t understand the sti
ness of health care cost!
don’t see why they should
erate in reducing them.
v Human contact essential
Technology isolates worker
Wish you were here
staff photo by Eric Evan Lee
United Press International
NEW YORK — There is a
problem developing for em
ployers in the electronic age.
People at work hate the lack of
personal contact and communi
cation that stems from increased
use of videotubes and other
high-tech machines.
This came to light in a survey
just completed by Research &
Forecasts, Inc., of New York, for
A.B. Dick Co., the Chicago mak
er of automated office and
by telephone said
“More money.”
bluntly:
Evelyn Jay writes a letter to a friend
while sunbathing Monday afternoon
behind Fowler Hall. Jay, a sophomore
health education major from Dallas,
seems to have perfected the art of
sunning with her handy lounge chair.
printing systems. j
The survey was designed to
discover from workers what in
centives would be most likely to
increase their productivity.
Not surprisingly, 80 percent
of the 1,083 persons interviewed
But second to that, 54 per
cent answered that improved
employee-management com
munications would motivate
them to be more productive and
42 percent said more recogni
tion would help.
Donald G. Dowd, A.B. Dick
vice president, said “the tremen
dous increase in office automa
tion has been a mixed blessing.
Although these sophisticated
machines can help us becme
more productive, the equip
ment frequently decreases the
need to communicate on a per
sonal basis with co-workers and
supervisors.”
What it comes down to, Dowd
said, is that in many offices auto
mation has taken over so com
pletely that personality is dis
appearing, and "without per
sonality you can’t get effective
teamwork. You’re doing things
just the opposite from the way in
which the Japanese achieve
teamwork and productivity.”
He said the situation could get
worse.
“In many businesses, there
now is one VDT for every 10
workers but surveys indicate the
ratio may drop to two workers to
each VDT. Nearly everyone will
be glued to the machines,”
Dowd said.
“That doesn’t hurt much in
businesses where people are
doing creative work oi
machines and talking top
on the phone, but ifpeop
doing only routine work,
lie deadly.”
emb
He said in some offic
electronic machines havt
over so completely that
workers don’t know wl
their boss is a man or w
whether he or she is tall on
or ugly or handsome.
Dick launched a canijlnd-i
two years ago to reduce«
ment-related fruslr
through “user friendly”«
ment design and special ti
mg. Its survey now indicate
man friendliness may be
more essential in thew
Be
vera
sale of misses', petites', women's
onap
SPRING FASHION'
NIT
Stal
:$ tc
rs tc
Hied
'he
liber
Nat
nths
tesn
34.99
I
special! misses’ striped dresses
by Ms. Chaus
Comp, at $72. Shop now! We have a marvelous
selection fashioned from polyester, with three-
quarter sleeves, contrasting collars and more
fashion detailing! Red, black or creme, 6-16.
save 25 % to 50 % on
fashionwear for petites,
misses or women
women’s famous maker
related separates
Orig. $22-34... 14.99-16.99. Save $7 to $17 on a
beautiful array of separates in polyester/cotton
and cotton fabrications. Select from tops sizees
38-44; skirts or pants, sizes 32-38.
save 28 % to 50 % on
easy-care blouses for petites
Orig. 24.99-$36.. .17.99. Hurry in and save on
an exquisite array of blouses for petites. Our sel
ection includes your favorite styles in easy-care
fabrics, fashion colors, 4-12.
women’s fashion blouses in
perky new styles for spring
Orig. $20-36... 12.99-17.99 Perk up your ward
robe for spring! Choose from a wide selection
of blouses with your favorite fashion touches.
Now at exceptional savings, so hurry in!
misses’ dresses by
Leslie Fay in vibrant colors
34.99
Arot
Class
Reg. $62-90.. .30.99-66.99 A smart selection
of dresses to brighten your looks for spring. Ours
are crisply designed with such great fashion de
tailing as piping, ruffles and more! 8-18.
special! misses’jacket dresses
in exciting new colors
shop Dillard’s monday thru Saturday 10-9; post oak mall, college station
Dillard’s
Comp, at $52-72. Select from a host of exciting
styles with piping and bows. . . the latest styles
with the detailing you prefer In crisp poly
ester/cotton or rayon, fresh seasonal colors, 8-18
Coc_
Opir
Spor
State
Nati (
folic
Wh a
Dillard's welcomes the
American Express' Card
Clou
ith
ban
"'ind
20 E
Sc
?8.