LETTERS: SERIES ON MERGER TO AIR ON KRCU

To the editor:

Whenever doctors tell patients they need a serious operation, doesn't a second opinion make sense, especially when the patient isn't suffering any symptoms yet? When a patient doesn't completely understand why all that cutting and stitching are needed, a second opinion could provide some peace of mind. Getting information from another point of view might favor a different treatment plan. Additional tests might result in a different diagnosis, and the medicine prescribed might be a bit easier to swallow.

Starting Oct. 11, public radio station KRCU will put the proposed merger between Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center under a microscope looking at all the available options. Airing at 3:30 p.m. Sundays at 90.9 FM, "Let's Talk Business" presents a four-part series examining the economic and legal issues involved in the hospital merger. Answers to tough questions should throw light on areas that still have many Southeast Missouri residents in the dark.

In the opening segment, the two hospital CEOs will defend why they want to merge and what they hope a merger will do for the community.

In Part 2, to be broadcast Oct. 18, area doctors will explain why they feel left out in the cold and what local governance means to them.

In Part 3, airing Oct. 25, the county's major employers will state their desire for lower prices based on greater competition.

In the final segment, airing Nov. 1, the antitrust lawyers will comment on the legal hurdles and whether the bar may be set too high.

Is taking the scalpel to competition prudent? Americans are accustomed to voting with their dollars. When they do, companies interested in making profits produce the right mix of goods and services at the right prices in the right places. If area residents encourage the government to allow interference with this process, they need to make sure they understand the possible consequences. If not, they could discover that the cure is worse than the disease.

If you have a question you want asked, call the KRCU comment line at 651-5066.

STEVE CORRELL, Host of "Let's Talk Business"

KRCU

Cape Girardeau