HEALTH, WEALTH: President Clinton’s plans to overhaul...
HEALTH, WEALTH: President Clinton’s plans to overhaul the U. S. health-care system have plenty of executives drumming their fingers. . . . But not those at CareAmerica, Health Net and WellPoint. The growth of the three San Fernando Valley medical insurers (above) exemplifies why the Valley is ahead in the race for managed care. See Valley Business, Page 3
CRIME DOWN: Crime was down 5% in the Valley in the first six months of 1993, although homicide and rapes increased (B1). . . . Robberies dropped 6%, which a deputy police chief called the most encouraging of all because robberies raise “community fears . . . the kind of thing that makes people say, ‘I’m leaving.’ ” . . . But lock your car: Despite a 5% drop in auto thefts, Valley cars are still stolen an average of one every 24 minutes.
NOT HUNGRY NOW: Rats in the flour . . . roaches on the meat . . . bribes in the handshake. It takes a strong stomach to be a health inspector, checking eateries for dirt that will poison the public. An inspector discusses her profession in a Question and Answer session on page B5. . . . What restaurants does she eat at? Only those checked by a colleague she knows.
GLOOM RESURGENT: For years, Valley property owners gloomily watched the value of their homes, usually their biggest asset, dwindle steadily. Optimism flared when sales surged 8% in May, compared to May of last year. . . . Now it’s letdown time: June sales flickered only 1% above last year’s rate. Prices are still falling, and the backlog of unsold properties still bulges. See Valley Business, Page 5
PUMP-YOU-UP TV: Move over, Jane Fonda. A North Hills woman made her own exercise video, helped by her trainer at a Tarzana fitness studio (E7). . . . Several other local trainers and exercise physiologists now offer tapes for business travelers, vacationers and others who can’t get to the gym regularly.
Health-Care Boom
Enrollment in managed-care plans based in the Valley has grown in recent years. National health-care reform is likely to step up the trend.
1988 1993* Care-America 67 207 Health Net 630 914 Well-Point 1,795 2,320
* As of July 1
