The Nation: Operation Camp-Out

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When Mrs. Ruth Egan of Salt Lake City first checked into the Latter-day Saints Hospital, she hardly had time to worry about costs. In the seventh month of pregnancy, she had suddenly begun to hemorrhage severely. But after eight days of care, her bill ran up to $600. Worse, her doctor strongly recommended complete bed rest for an additional five weeks. At an estimated $75 a day, that prospect proved too much for Husband Norman Egan, 36, a self-employed building contractor whose medical insurance covered only $15 of the per diem costs.

Seizing the initiative, Egan drove the family camper into the hospital parking lot, moved his wife onto its cot, set himself up as cook and orderly, and arranged for the doctor to make daily visits. When Operation Camp-Out was over, Mrs. Egan had a bouncing 7-lb. 3-oz. baby girl, Egan $2,500 in savings at the bank, and Hospital Administrator Brent L. Goates something to think about. He is now checking on the legality of Egan's solution, with the thought of preparing for more campers in the future.