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J
I
by J.R. Freeman
If Herb. Denenberg does nothing else
when he meets members of the press, he
permits his sincerity to come through.
Huddled in a room with 14 members of
the Pennsylvania News Media Associa-
tion Thursday night near Pocono Downs,
Dr. Herbert Sidney Denenberg, Pennsyl-
vania’s insurance commissioner, left no
doubt that he is the state’s number one
consumer advocate. Also unmistakably
clear to his listeners was the fact that this
man firmly believes what he says.
Most public officials who face the press
often switch their remarks from ‘‘on the
record” to ‘‘off the record’ so fast that a
newsman can get confused. Not so with
Dr. Denenberg. He lays down the ground
rulesgn the beginning: “I'm not used to
talki " off the record,” he says with a
firm expression. ‘So any remarks I
make here tonight will be on the record.”
And the controversial and sometimes
flamboyant insurance commissioner and
consumer advocate par excellance, said
plenty.
Young looking for his 43 years, Dr.
Denenberg is brilliant, aggressive,
unafraid, incredibly frank, cocky,
slightly profane and cooperative. He is
destined to be long remembered, though
it’s not certain what he will be remem-
bered for. But during his three-year
tenure in a state office usually handled so
as to placate the whims of the insurance
giants, Dr. Denenberg is well on the way
to making insurance a breakfast table
topic just because he is more concerned
about the consumer than he is about the
dorporate feifdoms.
His concern for consumers, however,
does not stop with insurnace.
Asked if big oil, for example, was
guilty of creating the energy crisis in
order to .reap corporate benefits, Dr.
Denenberg was adament: ‘ ‘I'm not bash-
ful,” he said. “I think the major oil
companies are guilty of perpretating a
hos on the consumer, just like you and
one else believes.”
Sked what concessions he thonght big
oil was after in addition to the Alaska
pipeline, drilling off the East Coast, tax
incentives, price hikes, a triple increase
in coal prices, oil shale, and a change in
U.S. foreign policy, the insurance
commissioner told his listeners: “I don’t
know what all they want. I know we've
already given them the Federal Govern-
ment, but I guess they're still not
satisfied. They operate as a very
powerful unregulated monopoly, and I
think they should be regulated just like
we regulate the insurance industry in
Pennsylvania.”
Last year Dr. Denenberg, acting
through the Pennsylvania Department of
Justice, filed a $2 billion damage suit
against the Federal Government dealing
with the 1972 Hurricane Agnes disaster.
The fifth annual District 2
Though no trial date has been set, the
legal action is moving forward through
preliminary stages: The commissioner, a
lawyer himself, said that he was pleased
with the suit thus far. “I think we stand a
very good chance of winning,” he said.
“But such a suit will obviously take a
long time. It will be years before it is
finally settled one way or the other.”
“The real problem is,” Dr. Denenberg
continued, ‘that if Hurricane Agnes hit
again tomorrow, we would be in the same
boat as before. The Federal Government
refuses to enact needed reforms. I like
this analogy : The Federal Government is
like a senile dinosaur. You kick it in the
ass trying to get your message across.
Two years later the message reaches the
brain, and then you get a reply back that
it has received your message.
“But that doesn’t mean the govern-
ment is going to take any action,” the
commissioner continued. “The Federal
Government is not only corrupt, it is in-
capable of action. There is no leadership
in Washington, either in the executive,
the agencies, or in the Congress. So when
you get word back that it has received
your message, that doesn’t mean a damn
thing.”
Perhaps no issue stirs the wrath of Dr.
Denenberg quite as much as does the
nuclear power industry. ‘Those cor-
porate bastards,” he stormed, ‘‘are not
willing to put their ASSets on the line in
protecting the public from the unsafety of
a nuclear accident.”
“Consumer’s Guide to Nuclear Non-In-
surance,’’ the U.S. Atomic Energy Com-
mission has released studies that in-
dicate a major nuclear accident at a
utility-owned electric generating station
could cause from $7 billion to $280 billion
in losses. But Dr. Denenberg quickly
points out that under a federal law known
as the Price-Anderson Act, total compen-
sation for all victims of a nuclear acci-
dent is limited to $560 million, most of
which would be paid by the taxpayers.
“A utility that builds a nuclear power
plant may only buy $95 million worth of
insurance. If the thing blows up, the
government would kick in an additional
$465 million. And that’s it. No one else
would be compensated. The law says the
utility is adequately covered.
“The manufacturer of the nuclear rea-
ctor gets off scot-free,”’ Dr. Denenberg
points out, ‘‘because he’s covered under
the Price-Anderson Act, too. Therefore
you can’t sue the utility, you can’t sue the
manufacturer, and of course, you can’t
sue the government.”
Loopholes in the insurance arrange-
ment in case of nuclear accident irks Dr.
Denenberg, because homeowner’s
coverage excludes such damage, just as
do automobile policies, health insurance
policies, life insurance coverage.
ment will be held Feb. 22 and 23
The preliminaries will begin
Feb. 22 at 6:30 , the semi-finals,
Feb. 23, at 10 am., and the
finals at 2:30 that afternoon.
John Zaleskas is tournament
director, assisted by Walter
Sarber of Lehman.
Boys will be competing in 18
weight classes.
Teams competing and their
coaches are Abington Heights,
Dick Cook; Crestwood, Joe
Mama igh Dallas, George Dom-
bek, G/A.R., Pat McAndrew;
Hanover, Joe Altavilla;
Meyers, Fred McDaniels;
Lake-Lehman, Ed Ladamus;
Plains, Bill Hilburt; Wilkes-
Barre Twp.; Willard Bennett;
Wyoming Area, Mike Podwika;
and Wyoming Valley West,
High team will be trying for
their fourth team title. Lake
Lehman and Meyers rank with
them as favorites.
Returning champs are Frank
Castrigano, (Meyers) 80 Ib,
now wrestling at 90; Jack Zal-
eskas, (LL) 90 lbs., now 115;
Don Kraynak, (Hanover) 130
1bs., ‘now 145; and Leo
McGlynn, (Hanover) 145, now
154.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. Feb.
29. and 9 am. and 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 23. :
An ‘‘Outstanding Wrestler”
trophy will be awarded and
champs and runners-up will re-
ceive Olympic style medals.
A concession run by Lake--
Lehman mothers will be open
hoth days, with proceeds to be
used to defray expenses for the
wrestling banquet.
The Dallas Mountaineers won
their exhibition bout wit
Abington Heights Saturday
night, 26-11.
Sophomore D. Dierolf, 95 lb.
(D), lost a close 6-4 decision to
senior champion B. Heller (A).
105, tied the score at 3-
all by outscoring Wunder (A), 7-
0.
D. Konnick, 112 (D), made it
Rozelle and M. Cook, 119 (D),
added three more by outscoring
Neufer 8-0.
J. Kasper, 126 (D), moved the
Mountaineers ahead 12-3 by out-
wrestling Spangenburg, 10-5. F.
Hazeltine, 132 (D), made it 15-3
by decisioning Evans 4-0.
D. Kirshner, 138 (D), dropped
a hard-fought 4-2 bout to Bistra-
nsin, to move the Comets to six.
decision from the Abington’s
favored athlete, Kutyna.
With the Mountaineers in
front 18-6, T. Kirshner, 155 (D),
led throughout his bout until the
last 19 seconds when his oppon-
ent Huggler reversed him and
pulled a near fall to pull off a 4-4
draw and move the score to 20-8.
R. Thrasher, 167 (D), out-
scored Pawelsky 4-0. S. Shook
was decisioned by 185 lb. Su-
prick (A) to move the score to
23-11.
A. Gramps, Dallas heavy-
weight, clinched the final bout
with a 3-2 score over Suggs to
post the final team score of 26-
11.
The Mountaineers meet West
Side Tech away Wednesday
night, and the Lake-Lehman
Knights away Saturday.
Photo by Dave Kozemchak
‘Remember,’ Dr. Denenberg
laments, ‘We're talking about millions of
lives and billions of dollars in property
damage. It may be that nobody but God
could write the insurance policy we need
on nuclear power plants. Unless the nu-
clear establishment can prove infinite
perfection, the only adequate insurance
against catastrophic loss from nuclear
accidents is to stop building more nu-
clear power plants and to begin closing
down the ones we have now. It’s that
simple.”
“And besides,” he adds, ‘it’s been
proven that they are not the answer.”
During his interview with local mem-
bers of newspaper, radio and television
newsmen, Dr. Denenberg said that he
was happy to announce that he had just
refused to grant Blue Cross a requested
rate increase in Pennsylvania, which he
estimated would save consumers ap-
proximately $50 million annually. ‘And
while we have managed to hold down the
cost of health insurance to the consumer,
we have also helped improve health
care,’ he said, ‘But we have a long way
to go. Open heart surgery,” he continued,
“is-six times more risky than it need be.
We must do away with the unneeded sur-
gery that takes place today.”
In one of his 18 ‘‘shopper’s guides’ ” to
date, Dr. Denenberg points out that
many studies document a national
scandal surrounding unnecessary sur-
gery.
Writing in his “‘Shopper’s Guide to Sur-
gery,” which has now been reprinted and
distributed by Blue Cross of Greater
score of 20-19.
“I think the major oil companies are
guilty of perpetrating a hoax on the
consumer, just like you and everyone
else believes.”
Philadelphia, Dr. Denenberg says that a
study conducted by the Columbia Uni-
versity Sehool of Public Health and Ad-
ministrative Medicine, points out that it
found, for example, ‘‘of 60 hysterect-
omies, ‘one third of the patients were
operated on unnecessarily and that
question could be raised on the advisa-
bility of the operation in another 10 per-
cent.” Of 13 caesarian sections, ”’ Dr.
Denenberg continues, ‘‘There were
serious questions about the necessity of
surgery in seven cases.” =
Quoting Dr. Charles E. Lewis, a Har-
vard specialist in community health, who
concluded a 1969 study of the incidence of
surgery, Dr. Denenberg makes this com-
ment: “The results presented might be
interpreted as supporting a medical var-
iation of Parkinson's law; patient admis-
sions for surgery expand to fill beds,
operating suites and surgeon’s time.”
Dr. Denenberg designed virtually
every piece of no-fault automobile insur-
ance legislation that has become law in
the U.S. and its territories. And it was
during his fight to get a no-fault hill
through the Pennsylvania General
Assembly two years ago that he gained
national prominence. Though his ebvious
design was to see that a consumer-
oriented bill become law in the Common-
wealth, the controversial commissioner
failed to see his bill enacted, despite Gov.
Shapp’s support. Several other states,
however, have adopted his guidelines
and have now begun to operate under a
no-fault law. But Dr. Denenberg, a well-
“The Federal Government is like a senile
dinosaur. You kick it in the ass trying to
get your message across. Two years
later the message reaches the brain.”
tion which has lobbied against any no-
fault bill that would suit Dr. Denenberg,
now sees little hope for a ‘good no-fault”
bill to pass the Pennsylvania General
Assembly. “I don’t think the Pennsyl-
vania Legislature will pass a good no-
fault bill this year, or even next. I think
what we have to do is wait on the Federal
Government. It’s up to the U.S. Congress
and it will take them another two years to
act. They know they should pass a no-
tion-wide. But because of lack of leader-
ship, it will take them about two years to
get around to passing a decent bill.”
Last year during his fight with the
Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association
to get a no-fault law on the books in the
Commonwealth, Dr. Denenberg was so
under fire from his critics, which now in-
clude doctors, lawyers, dentists, insur-
ers, hospitals, utilities, and auto manu-
facturers, that he prepared a form letter
requesting his dismissal or resignation to
be sent to Gov. Shapp. His office gave
copies to anyone who asked.
“I’ve only been successful in some of
my programs,’ Dr. Denenberg confides,
“because Gov. Shapp has supported me
and because I had access to the media.
Without those two things, there is nothing
I could have done to help the consumer.”
Despite his) comments, Dr. Denenberg
has found other ways to help segments of
the consuming public. His latest book, for
example, ‘‘Cover Yourself: The Guide to
Buying Insurance’ has contributed to-
ward several meals-on-wheels pro-
Evans,
Page
“Those corporate bastards are not
willing to put their assets on the line in
protecting the public from the unsafety of
a nuclear accident.”
“Our senior citizens are a virtually ig-
nored minority,”” Dr. Denenberg con-
tends. ‘For the most part they have been
ignored by government, pensioned off by
industry and forgotten by the rest of the
population.”
In contributing all of the proceeds from
his book to meals-on-wheels programs,
the commissioner said ‘The meals-on-
wheels program is one way to give senior
citizens the help that they need and de-
serve. This help is long over-due. I just
hope that my small contribution will both
help senior citizens and will alert others
to this very serious problem.”
And while Dr. Denenberg has not
issued a ‘‘shopper’s guide to newspapers,
radio or television stations vet.” he found
words of criticism for the media, none-
theless.
Charging. flatly that many important
events in Harrisburg go completely un-
reported, Dr. Denenberg said he was
surprised that not a single newspaper,
radio or television station in Northeast-
ern Pennsylvania maintained any staff
either in Harrisburg or Washington.
ganizations depend solely on wire service
reports of state and national govern-
ment,” he said, indicating that here was
just another way in which the consumer
was getting short-changed.
“Government works best for the
people when it is being criticized by the
press,” the commissioner said in closing
remarks. ‘And I don’t think the press is
» w
gained a P. LaCorte,
mat match,
varsity
against Mastalski.
JS ox 195
The
Weber,
by Sesty.
last Saturday night, to drop the
Hawkeyes out of a tie for first
place, with the Mountaineers
and the Meyers Mohawks.
The Knights jumped into an
early lead when S. Klemunes,
98. decisioned T. Pape 6-0. D.
Barbacei, 105 (L) turned over
G. Kolbicka in 3:59 for his 13th
win of the season and to put the
Knights in front 9-0.
E> Nixon. 21121: 1b. ¢L),
remained undefeated by flat-
tening B. Narcum in 2:57 and D.
Agnew, 119 1b. (1), outscored B.
Evans 10-6, and the Knights
were ahead 18-0.
H. Jones, 126 (lL), continued
to win for the Knights by pin-
ning R. Temerantz in 1:32.
With his team behind 24-0. L.
Kaminski, 132 (H), pinned J.
Haczewski in 5:59, and P.
LaCorte made it 24-12 by tur-
ning over W. Traver in 1:39.
jayvees
to the
put the
The first crucial point in the
match came when F'. Bleich, 145
(H), was charged with an
illegal slam against G. Naugle.
Naugle was not allowed to
continue and the Knights picked
up 6 points, for a team score 30-
12.
S. McGlynn, 155 (H), added
six for Hanover by turning over
R. Case in 1:59. Then the match
was put out of Hanover's reach
when D. Ksiazkiwicz, 167 (H),
elbowed G. Nemetz, causing
injury. The Lake Lehman
physician refused to allow the:
Knight to continue. The Knights
again picked up six points, to
run their team score to 36.
With the win out of reach, the
Hawkeyes took the final mat-
ches with B. Foley flattening F.
Webber, 185. in 3:59 and hwt. M.
Pisarcik ' turning over 'T.
Williams in 1:50.
grapplers threw the Wyoming
Valley Wrestling League into a
three-way tie last Wednesday
night by defeating a much-
touted Hanover team 20-19 be-
fore ‘a standing room only
crowd at the Back Mountain
school.
The Hawkeyes then fell, 36-30
to the Lake-Lehman matmen
the following Saturday night,
and dropped out of first place
tie with Dallas and Meyers. The
Mounts and Meyers are now
tied in first.
S. Pinter, down to 95 lbs., put
Dallas on the scoreboard with 3
points by decisioning Schmoll 7-
0. D. Konnick, (D) 105, remain-
ed undefeated by wrestling to a
6-6 draw with Kolbicka.
M. Cook, 112 (D), outscored
D. Demorat 6-5 to give the
Mountaineers an 8-2 lead. B.
Photo by Dave Kozemchak
superior decision of 14-4 over R.
Bridle to move the Hawkeyes to
6 on the board.
J. Kasper, 126 (D), wrestled
one of the finest bouts of the
4-1 and put the Dallas boys
ahead 11-6. Sophomore F.
Hazeltine, (D) 132 Ib., surprised
the fans by wrestling a close
bout with Hanover’'s Len
undefeated for the
season. Frank scored 2 on a
takedown in the first period,
and after an escape by the Han-
over wrestler, went into the se-
cond period leading 2-1. A
penalty point for an illegal hold
tied the bout at 2-2 where it re-
mained until the closing se-
conds of the third period when
Kaminski reversed Hazeltine
for two points for a final bout
score of 4-2.
Hawkeyes in front 13-11 by out-
scoring B. McDonald 11-0, but
D. Puchalsky, 145 lb. and unde-
feated for the season, put the
Mountaineers back in the lead
14-13 by taking F. Bleich, 5-2.
McGlynn, (H) 155 lb., out-
scored T. Kirshner 10-2 to give
the lead back to the Hawkeyes
16-14, but R. Thrasher brought
it home to the Mountaineers by
decisioning Ksiaskewicz, 167
lb., 7-2. :
With the score 17-16 for the
Mountaineers, S. Shook (D), 185
Ib. had a rough battle with
Foley who took the bout 16-10
and ran the score to 19 for the
Hanover matmen. 3
A Gramps, Dallas heavy-
weight, clinched the victory for
the Mountaineers by outscoring
Pisarcik 8-3 to post the final
score of 20-19.