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Government official reviews current health care situation

A U. S. battleship cruises the seas late at night. The officer on deckwakes the Admiral when a light is spotted directly ahead. The Admiral signals the ship ahead, ordering it to turn about. The response is returned quickly: "No. You turn."

The Admiral is not at all pleased. He signals again: "I'm an Admiral. You turn." The second response is just as adamant: "No. You must turn." The angered Admiral sends his final signal. "I'm an Admiral. This is a battleship. You turn and get out of the way."

The response puts matters into perspective: "No You better turn. I'm a lighthouse."

William L. Roper, M.D., special assistant to President Reagan on health policy, used the anecdote to introduce his speech on the impact of government policy on child health care at the Chapter Chairmen's Forum latst month.

In his remarks, Dr. Roper attempted to put the current child health care situation into perspective.

"We're in the middle of a fundamental revolution in America's health care system," he observed.

Dr. Roper cited changes in health care financing and noted that while government is an important actor in the health care revolution, the private sector is the "driving engine for the change that we see right now."