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A look back at the week in news

By Staff | May 11, 2013

House vote on Tremblay comments a good first step

By suggesting the Boston Marathon bombings could have been a U.S. government “black ops” inside job and that there was something fishy about the life-threatening injuries suffered by Nashua Costco employee Jeff Bauman, state Rep. Stella Tremblay,
R-Auburn, disgraced the House of Representatives and New Hampshire.

The House moved to regain its dignity Wednesday when it unanimously approved a resolution honoring the victims of the terrorist attack and disavowing “unfounded speculation” about its cause.

Although Tremblay was not specifically singled out, House members made it clear the resolution was intended to be a no-nonsense rebuke of her comments. Tremblay did not attend Wednesday’s House session, which is undoubtedly the smartest thing she’s done the past couple of weeks.

The next thing she should do is resign. It’s more than a hint you’re not wanted when your colleagues vote unanimously to cast your opinion as crazy.

Revised casino plan shows troubles for gambling bill

It’s more than a bit curious that just a couple of weeks before the New Hampshire House votes on whether to allow a casino to be built in the state, the developer behind the leading proposal unveils a souped-up plan that adds a convention center, restaurants, a new track clubhouse and resort feature.

What was once a $450 million proposal at Rockingham Park in Salem is now worth $600 million – a 33 percent jump in value. The sudden upgrade is an obvious indicator that the casino bill is in deep trouble and the developer, Millennium Gaming, feels stung by allegations it wasn’t offering a true “destination” casino.

It will be interesting to see if the new, revamped plan attracts any opponents to switch sides, or if it only confirms their fears that Millennium is a developer that can’t be trusted and is willing to do just about anything to rescue their floundering venture.

Medical pricing data could help limit cost increases

Heart attack sufferers usually don’t have the opportunity to choose a hospital for their treatment. When seconds can mean the difference between life and death, patients are advised not to take the time to comparison shop. But the cost differences between hospitals can be mind-boggling.

At Portsmouth Regional Hospital, for instance, a heart attack runs $45,512 compared to $18,211 at Manchester’s Eliot Hospital. These numbers are part of a report on Medicare charges released this week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a federal agency.

Readers can access a searchable database of what New Hampshire hospitals charge Medicare patients on our website (www.nashua
telegraph.com/topics/
medicare-charges).

The centers hope that releasing the cost information will help generate answers to the riddles of hospital pricing. Certainly it’s a step in the right direction. The data prompts many questions, the answers to which are needed if health care costs are ever going to be contained.

Voter ID moratorium makes sense on all levels

While it’s preferable to rescind phase two of the state’s voter identification law, a two-year moratorium is an acceptable compromise. That’s what a Senate panel endorsed this week after reviewing House legislation that sought a full repeal of part two.

Under the second phase, scheduled to start in September, the number of acceptable forms of identification will narrow and communities will be required to take photos of anyone voting without a picture ID.

The photo requirement could cost communities thousands of dollars on equipment and increase bureaucratic overhead. It would be a fool’s errand to require that expense when there is no proven need for it.

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