X-Message-Number: 22909
From: 
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 09:38:10 EST
Subject: fixed fees

In my post yesterday I should have added that the CI contract does not 

guarantee no increase in suspension fee. The contract says that CI may increase 
the 
suspension fee (before death of the patient) on 30 days written notice. But it 
is very important to remember several things:

1. That contract clause merely draws attention to what would be true in any 
case--that no one can do the impossible, and if the cost of suspension ever 

exceeded the resources of the organization, then there could be no suspension at
the original price, no matter what is written down. In other words, no one can 
truly or reliably guarantee the future, regardless of language. The only 
iron-clad promise is our best good-faith effort.

2. As I did say yesterday, history is usually a better guide than guesswork, 
and the fact is that CI has never raised prices, even in the high inflation 
years, and our liquid nitrogen costs have declined. And as I also pointed out, 
our overhead per patient is steadily declining, because our facility has a 
capacity much larger than currently in use.

3. Again the reminder that (at least in the case of the nonprofit 

organizations) viability does not depend just on ordinary economics. Morale and

motivation have other grounds. Many institutions survive and thrive with 
sometimes 
shaky economics--e.g. families, armies, churches.Where there's a will, we can 
usually find a way. (But there is no financial crisis, now or looming.)

4. And finally, yet again, it's the only game in town. Play or pray. Those 
who want "gebratene Tauben ins Mund geflogen" will opt out, as we already knew.

Robert Ettinger


 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"

[ AUTOMATICALLY SKIPPING HTML ENCODING! ] 

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22909