Costs for chronic diseasesRe: Budget extra for health care, by Gail MarksJarvis, Monday Business column. This column addresses the importance of…
Costs for chronic diseases
Re: “Budget extra for health care, ” by Gail MarksJarvis, Monday Business column.
This column addresses the importance of budgeting more for health care expense because health care costs are rising faster than inflation.
According to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over half the health care expense in the U. S. results from chronic diseases arising from — I’m paraphrasing — excess amounts of things we voluntarily put in our mouths.
If we would spend less now on food and beverages, we would spend less in the future on health care expense. What a win-win! And we didn’t need Congress to get involved.
David Shiring, Carrollton
Not a game
Re: “Vote likely next week — Draft expected Thursday as Democrats, some Republicans fault closed-door negotiations, ” Thursday news story.
The blatant dishonesty of the statements from our senators regarding the Senate’s so-called health care bill is stunning. Does John Cornyn think we do not know the difference between a year of crafting; 80 days of public hearings; 100+ accepted Republican amendments; a president going on TV, personally offering invitations for participation and debate before voting on the Affordable Care Act; and this secret exclusionary process that is contradictory to our form of government and which the Senate Republicans would foist on us? This is about our health and our lives. It is not a game.
Sharon Barbosa-Crain, Irving
Socialized health care
Re: “Fix high cost of medical care, ” by Diane Bishop, Wednesday Letters.
Bishop wonders why care here is more expensive than in England. It is because government pays the bills over there, and the resulting taxes and debt are why that country is in economic decline.
Government pays about half the bills in America. The rest is paid mostly by employers and families through costly insurance policies mandated by Obamacare to cover those who pay little or nothing.
Health care is expensive because it has been socialized. No one is going to care about cost when someone else pays for it. The only solution is to have everyone be responsible for their own care.
Ken Ashby, Dallas
Get it done already
Re: “Secrecy shrouds tax bill — GOP leaders intend to finalize overhaul behind closed doors, ” Wednesday news story.
If it is so important that these federal business tax cuts have to be done, why wait until September? Why not skip the summer recess and get it done now? The Republicans have been spewing hot air for six or seven years. Why wasn’t the plan formulated during the past years, dusted off, updated and passed the first week of the Trump administration?
How about grabbing all Republican senators and representatives by the collar, locking them in a room and not letting anyone leave until the job is done?
Next, the tax cut deal will be just like the one here in Texas. Businesses got huge cuts. Good! However, homeowners averaged about 35 cents a day ($127.75 annually) and are facing ever-higher property taxes. You can feed a married couple just one day a month at McDonald’s on $127.75 a year. For federal tax cuts, businesses will win, and then those of us that have saved and invested for the future will end up paying higher income taxes. I am going to get screwed once again.
Garry Beckham, Plano
The pressure is on
So the secret health care bill is nearly ready for a speedy, pressured vote.
According to an interview by NPR, not even all of the members of the work group have seen the health care bill. Reports are that it’s cruel and favors only the very, very rich. Cutting funds and benefits will not, despite their claims, increase access to or improve the quality of health care. However, a major player in the work group, Sen. John Cornyn, is quoted as saying, “It’s my job to find 50 votes, and we’re going to find 50 votes.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan last week discussed “how fantastic things will be if we get this done, ” referring to the also secret tax bill. How refreshing it would have been to hear them say, “It’s my job to represent my constituents and my country as well as I can and do the best I can for them.” Instead, they will happily congratulate themselves while millions suffer (and continue to pay their salaries and the cost of their decisions) .
Carol Stephenson, Mesquite
Index taxes to inflation
The 2017 Minnesota Legislature’s bipartisan omnibus tax bill provides some Social Security taxation relief based on inflation-indexed taxation thresholds of $60,200 for singles and $77,000 married filing jointly.
U. S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, in crafting the GOP tax plan should follow Minnesota’s lead and include indexing Social Security taxation thresholds for inflation. After over 30 years, it is time to move the $25,000 single and $32,000 married filing jointly provisional income thresholds to inflation-indexed values.
Mark Bofferding, Leander
Nursing home coverage
We all know that this is a free program solely for poor, lazy minorities who won’t work. Right? Wrong!
Approximately two-thirds of Medicaid spending is for the elderly and disabled, with much of that to cover home and nursing home care.
If Grandma and the kids can pony up $100K per year for a few years, there is nothing to worry about. If that kind of money isn’t there, however, Medicaid is probably in your family’s future after Grandma has spent down all of her assets. That’s assuming that Medicaid itself has a future.
Be sure to call your senator and ask them how their proposed legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare will affect Medicaid coverage of nursing home care.
Bill Devitt, Plano
What do you want?
Do you want Wealth Care for some, or do you want Basic Health Care for All?
Consider your own family situation before answering this question. Do you or your family (immediate or extended) have asthma, blood pressure issues, cancer, children or grandchildren with long-term disabilities, depression, diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, heart disease, mental health issues, etc? All of these conditions and many others are pre-existing conditions and can be used to refuse health care coverage or result in a significant premium for coverage. Unfortunately, too many people will fall into the category of a high risk pool or will be financially unable to afford health care, becoming uninsured. Some will be family members, neighbors, church members, coworkers and schoolchildren.
Basic health care for everyone helps to build strong communities.
It’s our responsibility to know what is in this bill and to contact our representatives in Washington to voice our dissatisfaction. Cable news is not reliable.
Mary Dickerson, Dallas
Provide for general welfare
The current term of the U. S. Supreme Court will soon end. Over the years the American public has frequently seen the justices torture the somewhat antiquated language of the U. S. Constitution so that they can render definitive judgments addressing contemporary issues that were never envisioned by the document’s authors.
With this premise in mind, here’s an interesting question to ponder.
