“What about housing?” Angela asked as an afterthought.
“I’m glad you asked,” Caldwell said. “I was supposed to ask you to go down to the Green Mountain National Bank to see Barton Sherwood. Mr. Sherwood is the vice chairman of the hospital board. He’s also president of the bank. He’ll give you an idea how much the town supports the hospital.”
After rescuing a reluctant Nikki from the day-care center where she’d been enjoying herself, the Wilsons drove back to the town green and walked to the bank. Typical of their reception in Bartlet, Barton Sherwood saw them immediately.
“Your applications were favorably discussed at the last executive board meeting,” Barton Sherwood told them as he leaned back in his chair and hooked his thumbs in his vest pockets. He was a slight man, nearing sixty, with thinning hair and a pencil-line mustache. “We sincerely hope you’ll be joining the Bartlet family. To encourage you to come to Bartlet, I want you to know that Green Mountain National Bank is prepared to offer both first and second mortgages so that you’ll be able to buy a house.”
David and Angela were stunned and their jaws dropped in unison. Never in their wildest imaginations had they thought they would have been able to buy a house the first year out of their residencies. They had very little cash, and a mountain of tuition debt: over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Sherwood went on to give them the specifics, but neither David nor Angela could focus on the details. It wasn’t until they were back in their car that they dared to speak.
“I can’t believe this,” David said.
“It’s almost too good to be true,” Angela agreed.
“Does this mean we’re coming to Bartlet?” Nikki asked.
“We’ll see,” Angela said.
Since David had driven up from Boston, Angela offered to drive home. As she drove, David perused the information packet Caldwell had given them.
“This is interesting,” David said. “There’s a clip from the local paper about the signing of the contract between Bartlet Community Hospital and CMV. It says that the deal was consummated when the hospital board, under the leadership of Harold Traynor, finally agreed to CMV’s demand to provide hospitalization for an unspecified monthly capitation fee, a method of cost control encouraged by the government and favored by HMO organizations.”
“That’s a good example of how providers like hospitals and doctors are being forced to make concessions,” Angela said.
“Right you are,” David agreed. “By accepting capitation the hospital has been forced to act like an insurance organization. They are assuming some of the health risk of the CMV subscribers.”
“What’s capitation?” Nikki asked.
David swung around. “Capitation is when an organization is paid a certain amount of money per person,” he explained. “With health plans it’s usually by the month.”
Nikki still looked puzzled.
David tried again. “Let’s be specific. Say that CMV pays Bartlet Hospital a thousand dollars each month for each person in the plan. Then if anybody has to be hospitalized during the month for whatever reason, CMV doesn’t have to pay any more. So if no one gets sick for the month, the hospital makes out like a bandit. But what if everybody gets sick and has to go to the hospital? What do you think will happen then?”
“I think you still might be over her head,” Angela said.
“I understand,” Nikki said. “If everybody got sick the hospital would go broke.”
David smiled with satisfaction and gave Angela a playful poke in the ribs. “Hear that?” he said triumphantly. “That’s my daughter.”
A few hours later, they were back home near their Southend apartment. Angela was lucky enough to find a spot only half a block from their door. David gently woke Nikki, who’d drifted off to sleep. Together the three walked to their building and mounted the stairs to their fourth-floor walk-up.
“Uh oh!” Angela said. She was the first to reach their apartment.
“What’s the matter?” David asked. He looked over her shoulder.
Angela pointed at the door. The trim was split from the point where a crowbar had been inserted. David reached out and pushed the door. It opened with no resistance. All three locks had been broken.