It made sense then — and now
Medicare for All
I have advocated for Medicare for All since Medicare was passed in 1964. It made sense then; it makes sense now. Of course, critical to any universal health plan is cost control and ending the enormous profits generated by health-related providers and businesses, including pharmacy. When President Barack Obama got into trouble with his universal health-care plan, conservative Republicans and blue-dog Democrats sandbagged his efforts, and we got the Affordable Care Act. It fell short of hoped-for goals but did get 20 million insured. Lost in the effort was the stellar plan to start Medicare coverage at 55 instead of 65 years of age. That would have solved so many problems. These are the people I see in the free clinic I volunteer in. We have an upward trend in the uninsured and more compromised coverage for those who are insured — higher premiums, higher deductibles and less coverage. Because of a lack of cost controls, insurers have their own problems and take it out on patient care to meet their bottom line. The uninsured are simply hung out to dry. Those who stand against or for the Medicare for All effort never address adequately the savings of a more efficient system: the end of fragmentation, bringing administrative costs under 5 percent and so on. So back to 1964. My question, then as a 24-year-old, was: Why not everybody?
Marc J. Yacht, Hudson
The writer is the retired director of the Pasco County Health Department.
Coronavirus conniption
U.S. ‘ready’ for virus | Feb. 27
I watched President Donald Trump’s news conference about the coronavirus and was just appalled. Even as he was surrounded by experts from the Centers for Disease Control, he continued to refute scientific data. He just went on and on in incomplete thoughts and sentences and then blamed the disheveled Democratic debate for causing the recent market drops. After he appointed Vice President Mike Pence to head up the virus task force, I expected to hear about an accelerated wall-building effort to decrease any influx of the virus from the south.
David Lubin, Tampa
Let a younger person lead
No office for old people | Letter, Feb. 27
As a senior citizen, I wholeheartedly agree with the letter writer who expressed her concern about the advanced ages of the presidential hopefuls. We need a younger person to lead our country and become our next president. I believe Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg should forego their egos and give their full support to either Amy Klobuchar or Pete Buttigieg, who will give our country the best chance to end the Trump presidency.
Barbara Del Sorbo, Spring Hill
Learn lynching’s history
House passes anti-lynching bill | Feb. 27
So each house of Congress has now passed an anti-lynching bill after 120 years of delay, some 4,000 lynchings, and still four House members voted against it. It is no great accomplishment, given our claim to be a democracy in pursuit of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” I can’t think of any action that would make this right, given the passage of time. However, a national apology and state apologies and clear references in all history material used to educate our youth seem mandatory. The murderous acts become part of the process of how Americans come to grips with a resolution of our violent racial history. There has been little progress and consensus on the issues.
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Explore all your optionsJames Gillespie, St. Petersburg