Meets Noon Mondays at the Hilton
www.hbgrotary.org
Executive Director: Linda Freedenberg Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Telephone: 717-234-1208
Fax: 717-234-3234

March 1, 2010
Speaker: The Rev. Brenda Alton
Topic: “WHAT KIND OF PLACE IS HARRISBURG: A PERSONAL VIEW”
Greeter:  Tom Bream
Invocation:  Joan Prescott
Mini-Classification Talk: Chris Dellinger
Rotary Minute:  Maria Persico
Club Singing:  John Hickey
Publications:  Mark Stone

Corporate Member

Birthdays:
Caryn Carr  MAR 5

UPCOMING PROGRAMS / MEETING LOCATIONS:
March 1  The Rev. Brenda Alton
“What kind of Place is Harrisburg: a personal view”
March 8 -  John Green, Your Ultimate Gift of Life
March 15 – Matt Royer and Dr. Tim Schaeffer, "MARCELLUS WHO?: In PA Who Wins and Who Looses?"
March 22 – Senator Robert Casey
March 29 – Tim Potts, Cofounder Democracy Rising "What's all this about a constitutional convention?"

For complete programming go to our website: hbgrotary.org and click on calendar.
For meeting cancellations due to inclement weather.... Tune to ABC27-TV or check your e-mail or call the Rotary office at 234-1208.

PROGRAM: In the wake of accepting a job with the city of Harrisburg, the Reverand Brenda M. Alton stepped down as president of the Interdenominational Ministers Conference of Greater Harrisburg.

Rev. Alton is ombudsman and administrative assistant to Mayor Linda Thompson.  She serves as Thompson’s liaison to improve relations between the community/ city government and organize and promote community engagement with local governments.

NEWS AND NOTES:
• SAVE THE DATE!  Officers/Board/Committee Chairs are invited and ENCOURAGED to attend to the Strategic Planning Event on Tuesday, March 2nd  at the Hilton, 7:30-8:00 AM continental breakfast and 8:00-11:30 AM Strategic Planning.

• SAVE THE DATE!  Habitat for Humanity, May 8th.

• 147 Rotarians and friends attended the showing of Dauphins and Whales at the IMAX Theater in the Whitaker Center. Thanks go to Andy Rebuck who hosted this event.

• THE ROTARIAN MAGAZINE - now that you've finished reading the last issue, consider taking it to the office waiting room, your dentist or doctor's office, or someplace where others would have the chance to read all about Rotary and the projects being done around the world.

DISTRICT NEWS:

• 1.  Check out the District Newsletter: www.hbgrotary.org
Click on click on About Us   Click on District 7390 Click on District Happenings
Click on Rotar- E Reporter
or  http://www.rotary7390.org/Portals/0/August%2009%20Newsletter.pdf

2. ROTARY DISTRICT 7390 /WGAL-TV 8 SIXTH       ANNUAL TEACHER IMPACT AWARDS nominations are now being accepted. The program will identify and honor teachers who have influenced students’ lives, both academically and personally. WGAL has posted the nomination form on the station’s web site (wgal.com) under the “Community Page” section. Nominations are also available through any Rotarian in the Lebanon, Lancaster, Dauphin, Adams, Cumberland, Perry and York County area. WGAL and Rotary are encouraging students, school administrators, PTOs, Alumni Associations, parents and anyone with first hand knowledge of an outstanding teacher to nominate him or her for this award. Recipients of the award will be profiled on future News 8 broadcasts in May, 2010. A Teacher Impact Awards recognition banquet is being planned for Monday, May 17, 2010.

3.  Rotary Foundation Seminar: Please join us Saturday, March 6 at the HARRISBURG EAST HOLIDAY INN (4751 Lindle Road, Harrisburg) for the District 7390 Rotary Foundation Seminar!  Registration and continental breakfast from 8:00 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. Promptly at 8:30 a.m. the informative sessions will begin. Lunch will be served and the day will end by 3:00 p.m. All this for just $35.00per Rotarian!

4. ROTARY FOUNDAITON DINNER:  MARCH 6, 2010
5. DISTRICT CONFERENCE:  APRIL 22-25.  Sign up for a day!  Go to the website.

ATTENDANCE:         GOOD NEWS REPORTING   $48
LAST ROTARY MEETING:  2/22/10       61%
Rotarians   80  Active Specials  7            Guests  4       Visiting Rotarians  1     = 93

Minutes by Carrie W. Thomas:
President Carolyn opened the meeting at 12:20 PM by introducing John Cavanaugh, who gave the invocation., followed by Caryn Carr’s leading the Club in singing “My Country Tis of Thee.” After the Pledge of Allegiance, Club members warmly greeted each other.

Jeff Boswell ably announced visiting Rotarians and guests.

MINI-CLASSIFICATION TALK:
President Carolyn then invited Autumn Lang  (and son!)to the podium  to give her Mini-Classification Talk. Autumn explained that her second child is due in 6 weeks, hence the introduction. She said that she has been in the Sales and Marketing Department for Capital Blue Cross for the past 11 years, working with large companies. She elaborated about the various challenges her job presents to her, including showing prospective clients the benefits of various health insurance plans as compared to costs. She receives great satisfaction when she’s been successful in developing good packages for her clients, and enjoys the abundant variety her job provides.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Our President then announced a number of Committee Reports, starting with Caryn Carr and Peggy Grove, who spoke about the need for volunteers for the upcoming Youth Exchange weekend, March 20 and 21.The youth will convene at the YMCA, on Saturday, then proceeding on a tour of the Capitol and Planetarium, going to Strawberry Square for lunch, followed by an IMAX movie, and then back to the Y for dinner and the night. Volunteers are needed to assist with the tours and to stay overnight with the group at the Y.

Peggy Grove segwayed into a “political announcement,” urging everyone to sign the various petitions that will be taken door to door for all the candidates that will be running for offices for the spring primary.

Andy Rebuck was next on the agenda, inviting everyone to attend the free IMAX movie tomorrow evening...the “snow date” from two weeks ago.  He went on to say that the Committee is planning “Nine and Dine” events for the summer months, with nine holes of golf followed by cook-outs and beer at various hosts’ homes.  He also urged members to join the Membership Committee.

Bob Saline compared Kent Frese’s efforts to get Club members to participate in his online Strategic Planning survey to Olympians’ striving for Silver Medals! Help Kent achieve the Silver by taking the survey, which he’s planning to re-email to everyone.

GOOD NEWS REPORTING:
Jeff Boswell did an outstanding job of soliciting various items of good news from members, including Sally Klein’s announcement of the birth of her 4th grandchild, Gary Brinton’s daughter’s summer job as a white-water raft guide in WVA, and Tom Bream’s move to become part of the Graystone Bank team. Other announcements of the woofy nature included Bob Hostetter’s son’s short-haired pointers winning awards at Westminister, and President Carolyn’s Max receiving the top prize in a major competition. Mitch Tillet gleefully related the news that at last his son and daughter-in-law had moved into their own apartment.

On a more serious note, President Carolyn related news from Dr. Judson in Haiti, who said that the destruction there was even more extensive than seen in news coverage, but he applauded the resiliency of the Haitian people. Our President went on to say that Al Baker has suffered a heart attack and is recovering from open heart surgery. She urged everyone to send cards to his home address, not to the hospital.

SPEAKER:
Bob Hostetter gave one of his inimitable introductions, saying that we invited our speaker out of sheer desperation to help us understand the health-care reform dilemma. Robert Baker, Jr., is Senior Director, Government Affairs, at Capital Blue Cross. At the outset, Mr. Baker made the obvious comment that the whole issue of healthcare reform and regulation is “terribly complex.”  He went on say that Blue Cross has 2100 employees, with the main office on Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg. Blue Cross negotiates contracts with doctors and hospitals, but does not provide any kind of “healthcare,” only health insurance. In Central PA, there are many health insurance competitors, i.e., Capital Blue Cross, HealthAmerica, Highmark/Blue shield, and several others. Blue Cross is very community-spirited, subsidizing $82 million in programs annually for disadvantaged people, and even pays school taxes even though it is a nonprofit organization.

Mr. Baker explained that there are many factors contributing to the rise in health-insurance coverage costs, including the aging of the PA populace, and all the plethora of medical tests patients request regularly. There are many theories of how to lower the cost of insurance, as have been discussed ad infinitum in the news media over the past months. Will there be a single-payer, Government-run system and how would it be paid for is the BIG question. Both the House and Senate have devised their own bills, differing in costs and benefits provided, and both projecting costs in the billions over the next ten years.

There is speculation that employers with over 50 employees will be required to provide coverage @ $750 for each employee annually. Penalties would apply to companies who do not provide coverage. Mr. Baker expostulated that increased benefits would mean increased taxes, and could even lead to Government’s rationing of health services. He went on to say that the election of Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts has changed the picture, with the Democrats in the Senate no longer having the 60-member majority necessary to pass the health-care-reform bill. President Obama has called a meeting for this Thursday to get the process re-started, with the Republicans wanting to start from scratch, abandoning the bills already in the works.

To put it mildly, the situation is very volatile and very much in flux. Mr. Baker asked for questions from the audience, and many were forthcoming.

Peggy Grove said that small businesses will find it’s cheaper to pay a penalty than it would be to provide insurance coverage for their employees. Mr. Baker said the Government knows this, and assumingly hopes this situation will lead to a demand for a single-payer system. John McHenry inquired what Blue Cross would prefer will transpire. Mr. Baker replied that reforms are definitely needed in the health-insurance system, but not to the dramatic extent being proposed by the Government at this time.

Peggy Grove suggested that a simple way to provide health insurance for all would be through a payroll deduction, as with Social Security and Medicare.  The speaker felt that healthy competition, with various private providers to choose from, is a better scenario.

The discussion was finally concluded with President Carolyn’s request for all to stand and repeat the four-way test. The next meeting will be Monday, March 1, at the Hilton.

OFFICERS:

DIRECTORS:

Carolyn Dumaresq           
John P. Judson, M.D.      
Robert S. Saline              
Barry Ramper, II,             
Carrie N. Wissler Thomas
William B. Boles                
William M. Tillett

President
President-Elect
Vice President
Immediate Past President
Secretary
Treasurer
Sergeant-at-Arms

Caryn J. Carr
John R. Detweiler
Kent E. Frese
John J. McHenry
Lawrence M. Means
Maria B. Persico
Andrew R/ Rebuck
Karen F. Snider