25 Years Ago
$50 Deductible Being Required Under Medicare – We’re starting a new year and that means a new $50 deductible is required under Medicare, W. S. King, district manager of the Hagerstown social security office, said today. Very simply, Mr. King continued, everyone covered by the Medicare program is personally responsible for the first $50 of his medical expenses incurred in each calendar year. After that Medicare pays 80% of the covered charges. Expenses for such things as dental services, prescription drugs and the like do not count toward the deductible, Mr. King warned. Only costs which are covered under the Medicare program can be counted, he said. These include visits to the doctor in his office and treatments by a physician in the hospital. However, Mr. King noted, there is one little “gimmick” regarding the deductible for 1970 which everyone should know. Any medical expenses incurred in the last three months of 1969 which were charged against the deductible for that year may also be used to satisfy the deductible for 1970. For example, if a person covered by Medicare had $30 in
doctor bills in the first nine months of 1969 and $40 worth in the last three months, he could charge $20 of the last $40 toward the 1970 deductible as well as against the 1969 one. Naturally, by submitting bills and filing a claim on the entire $70 for his 1969 expenses, Medicare would reimburse him 80% of the amount over $50, or $16. Community Reporter, March 6, 1970.
50 Years Ago
Rev. W. E. Roop Objects to Spelling – They’re still chewing the cud on whether or not cows are being kept in Roland Park. It started in the House of Delegates in Annapolis when Rev. William E. Roop, farmer and minister in Westminster, spoke against a roadside bill sponsored by Mrs. Gideon Stieff and said he had been told “that Mrs. Stief keeps two cows at her lovely home in Roland Park.” Mrs. Stieff, who lives at 108 Ridgewood road, Roland Park, retorted pleasantly that the cows were kept in the barn, which is not in Roland Park. And Mr. Stieff wrote the following letter to Mr. Roop. “Dear Brother Hopp[sic]—I am not writing his as Gideon N. Stieff, but as one brother to another, I know that you, as a good Christian minister, would not wish to give anyone false impressions or make false statements, and I wanted to tell you that neither Mrs. Steiff, myself not any other Stieff has ever owned any cows kept in Roland Park.” His statement in the letter was confirmed by Harry R. McCauley, superintendent of the Roland Park Roads and Maintenance Corporation. “Sunny lane at the west side of Mr. Stieff’s property is the western boundary of Roland Park,” he said. “His barn is located on the other side of the lane in what used to be the old Cross Keys section.” That seemed to bottle up the situation. In a letter dated February 14, Mr. Roop stood firmly against the roadside bill but stood corrected on the cows in Roland Park. The letter, which he made public, read in part: “Being a poor country minister, I personally am not familiar with the technical boundaries of the Roland Park areas, but I do understand you live at 108 Ridgewood road, which is west of Roland avenue, and your land extends almost to the Falls road and, if this is not the Roland Park section, I wish to publicly and otherwise apologize to you and to Mrs. Stieff.” The
controversy was conducted on both sides with relish and good humor. However, Mr. Roop, on letterhead stationery carrying the inscription “Minister of the Gospel” and after his name “A. B., A. M. and Civ. Eng.,” delivered one more milk punch. “I may add that my name is spelled “Roop” instead of “Ropp,” he wrote Baltimore Evening Sun, March 2. From Baltimore Evening Sun, March 2.Democratic Advocate, March 9, 1945
75 Years Ago
Town Now Using Current from the Great Security System – After innumerable delays, the Light Plant began using current from the Security system on Wednesday which, thus far, is quite
satisfactory. It was originally planned to have this current last September. This is a part of a great system extending as far west as Frostburg and as far south as Front Royal, Va. The power for generating the current is furnished by three water power plants on the Potomac and a half dozen or more steam plants, the largest of which is located at Security. The electrical energy of all these plants are coupled together at a point near Smithsburg. Union Bridge Pilot, March 12, 1920. 100 Years Ago Wesley Chapel Debating Society – The question, “Which is the more responsible for the evil of the saloon, the men that sign the applications for the license, or the saloon keeper,” was discussed until the wee small hours on Wednesday night of last week by Wesley Chapel Debating Society. The discussion was able and interesting. The disputants were: Affirmative, Atlee W. Wampler, Howell Taylor, Amon Taylor, Edw. Boner, Jeremiah Ebaugh, John H. Taylor, Benjamin Taylor, George Stull, Frank Brummel; negative, Chas. Taylor, Patrick Sullivan, Chas. W. Zepp, A. T. Brady, John W. Spahr, Jos. Brummel, Jacob Long, John Shipley. The judges gave the decision in favor of the negative, two to one. The judges were: Messrs. George W. Zepp, Henry A. Miller, H. H. Spahr. The question for discussion
Wednesday night of this week was, “Which prompts man to the greater exertion, hope of reward or fear of punishment?”American Sentinel, March 9, 1895.