For Medicare Patients Most Drs. OK Fee Cut

By JOE ZELNIK A guaranteed “best Keller'’ will be rolling off Cape May County's presses in two months. The title is a bit long — "A Guide to Cape May County Doctors Who Have Indicated Acceptance of Medicare Assignments" — but the information it will contain is eagerly awaited by some 18,000 persons 65 or older. The fees doctors charge often are higher than the "allowable charge" Medicare will accept. And Medicare pays only 80 percent of the fee it accepts. That leaves the patient to pay the remaining 20 percent plus the difference between the doctor's fee qnd the Medicare figure. And that sometimes must be paid up front. As a result, it is claimed, some of the elderly do not seek medical attention when they should. The forthcoming free guide aims at that problem THE CAPE MAY County Coordinating Council of Senior Citizens surveyed 85

local doctors listed in telephone book yellow pages, asking if they would accept the Medicare assignment as total pay ment The mail canvass was first conducted last October with a follow up in January J More than 65 responded, an impressive 76 percent return. And the majority said they would accept Medicare, after the pa tient pays the $75 annual deductible Frank Alburger, Coordinating Council president and chairman of its Health Com mittee, which conducted the survey, prais ed the physicians for, in effect, reducing their fees to senior citizens. "We got very good answers," he said. "The majority of doctors said yes, although a couple dichards are trying to rook the people for everything they can get out of them.” MANY DOCTORS' replies included qualifications, Alburger said, and those will be included in the pamphlet that will be published by the county's Office on Ag-

ing. The main qualification, he said, was that Medicare assignment would be ac cepted only for those in need, not those who could afford to pay the regular fee "The family doctor knows the patient's finances," said Alburger. who lives in Villas The number of. pamphlets to be printed and the method of distribution have yet to be determined, according to Ann Zahora. executive director of the Office on Aging Alburger, who is going on 84.' sold pa tients would still be obligated to pay the 2« percent of Medicare's allowable.charge "I used to go to the doctor for $2. $4. $5, said Alburger “Now it’s )l8-$20, some as high os $22 The doctor sees six or seven patients an hour and he's doing this all day You and I don't make that kind of money "I DON'T BLAME it all on the doctors," said Albruger. "but health costs have gone to an extreme People are doing without (Page 15 Pleasei

OAru Muni Frank Alburger with Doctors' Replies.

Election April 12 School Races Crowded

Dorli Ward

UP AGAINST THE WALL - Her name is •Puppy" and she backed off as far as she could during the rabies Inoculation clinic in Lower Township Saturday. Emily Me Fee ten of Villas dog-sat while Puppy’s owner signed up for the dreaded shot.

Cold Spring Gets Outhouse COLD SPRING — Another building will add to the authenticity of Cold Spring Village, restored 18th and 19th century farm community — a one-hole, turkey-red outhouse The Village, on Seashore Road, appealed in a front-page Herald and Lantern story last month for donations of farm outbuildings. A half-dozen persons offered various buildings, but the only one found suitable so far is the outhouse owned by Mrs Adeline Little of 3rd Avenue in Mayville Mrs Little said the outhouse was there when she and her late husband arrived 17 years ago "It was a conversation piece," she said, R also quickly became filled with storage hems. Ron Nardi, Cold Spring Village mahager. saidJie^as "no idea how old it is, but it's in pretty good condition " The village already has an outhouse (Page 15 Please)

By BOB SHILES LOWER TOWNSHIP - Unlike some years, local voters will have several candidates to choose from April 12 when they go to the polls to elect members to the Lower Township Elementary and Lower Cape May Regional school boards In the Elementary District, five candidates have filed nominating petitions to run for three, three-year terms on the nine member board The seats are currently held by Dolly MacDonald. Eugene Rupin ski and William Brown MacDonald, of Cold Spring, is the only incumbent seeking reelection She ran unopposed and was first elected to the board in 1980 Also running is Bart .1 Russell of Erma, who also will appear on the ballot in the Regional election A former member of the Elementary Board, he ran as an incumbent last year and was defeated The other candidates, all seeking office for the first time, are: Art St. John, Villas. Away, But Available

Cape May County Sheriff Beech N Fox was scheduled to return to his office yesterday after a "working vacation" that apparently began in early January Repeated efforts to reach Fox since Jan 8 have brough responses from personnel in his office that he was "on vacation " But Fox. back in the county Monday, said "I have in no way, shape or form been on any type of extended vacation or leave." Fox, reelected in 1981 to his fifth threeyear term in the $32,50(>-a-year job, said he had "kept some intermittent schedules from time to time, but was available 24 hours a day by phone " HE SAID HE VISITED a daughter out of state lor "several days” in January, then "pursued an irregular working vacation" and, "in the last two weeks, for the first time in many years, took a regular vacation, out of town, out of state ..” During Fox’s absence. Under Sheriff William Hunter said he was acting sheriff Hunter said things were "running smoothly" and the sheriff would get messages and return phone calls But. he didn't. Fox refused to say how many days he

Mary Ellen Daino. North Cape Slay, and Diana L Hevener, North Cape May In the Regional District, which includes Lower Township. Cape May City and West Cape May, a four-way race for three, three-year terms is lining up All three contested seats belong to the township They are currently held by Delton Brooks, Freeman Douglass and Patricia Halbruner Both Brooks and Douglass are seeking reelection Douglass, of Erma, is seeking his second three-year term Brooks of Cold Spring, was appointed in September I9HI. to fill the unexpirod term of Harrison "Pete" Bitting, and was elected lo.complete the remaining one year of Bitting s term last April The other candidates in the race are Bart J Russell and Patricia Smith Smith, who was a member of the township Elementary School Board from 1977 to 198(i, operates the Cold Spring Country School on Town Bank Road

has been in his county office since the first of the year "I HAVE BEEN completely available, functional and operating my office with the highest standards as it always has been and willl continue to be." Fox said Monday "No serious problem escaped my attention," he said "I do not feel the need tode fend one of the best sheriff's office opera tions in the state of New Jersey, nor do I intend. as a very private person, lo explain my private business aside from by obliga tions at work. " The sheriff's office is responsible for courtroom security, for processing various legal documents, and for administering the county prison As an elected official, the sheriff has no set vacation and can. in fact, work whatever schedule he chooses No-matter where he was. he wasn't at the Dunkin' Donuts in Rio Grande In a raf tie there on Feb. 19, Fox won a prize of one dozen donuts a week for 52 weeks A spokesman at Dunkin' Donuts said the sheriff hasn't picked up any yet. and thus far has forfeited 24 donuLs so far

Sheriff Back at Desk

News— Digest S's,;

Pul I f) or Shut H/) CAPE MAY — City Council Monday received a petition with 1,000-plus signatures opposed lo doubling fees at some 520 parking meters to 50 cents an hour Then it voted 2-0, with one ahsten lion, to do it anyway. Council did say they'd reconsider if anyone can suggest, before budget adoption night. March 28. a better way to raise $75,000' The chamber of commerce volunteered to be the coor dinating body to do just^hat

Whoops SWAINTON Citing bidding ir regularities, the Municipal Utilities Authority last Wednesday threw out five bids for demolishing two obsolete sewage plants in Ocean City The MUA legal advertisement had failed to slate affir mative action requirements Goal is still lo complete the job by Memorial Day It had that goal last year, too Had Reception COURT HOUSE Cape M»y Gity Councilman Harry Gilbert was indicted last week on one count of witness tamper mg for allegedly asking a city residenl charged in I9HI with selling illegal televl sum converter boxes not lo report his name as one of the purchasers Gilbert is county Superintendent of bridges, o $23,409-a-ycar job

A Lotifr Haul NORTH WILDWOOD New Jersey State Police will close the Manne^pivi sion station on Central Avenue effective April 9. transferring nine employes |o othef stations Cape May County will Ik* (Page 14 Please)

{JOMI WlPlI SHERIFF BEECH V FOX.