Keep them alive

Senate passes COVID health care shield | Jan. 20

When COVID first hit, hospitals were scrambling to accommodate the influx. In response, an all-encompassing financial plan was appropriate to help. The hospitals were in dire need of subsidies and compensation to combat what was happening. Since then, we have seen major advancements in our understanding of this illness, and effective treatments are now available. For this reason, it would be beneficial to shift to a fairer allocation of resources.

Simply, if a patient lives, the hospital receives a higher compensation than if the patient were to die. This would place more value on life than on death. Many have said we are headed toward the end of this pandemic, so logically COVID subsidies and compensations will end sometime. Hospitals have worked tirelessly to mitigate the damage COVID has done and rather than rip away the funding abruptly, a transition to outcome-based subsidies would make more sense. In the simplest terms, better outcomes equal better compensation. A fair and just transition from the rapidly expiring plan currently in place.

Jessica Graham, Lithia

Goodbye, Rays

It’s now up to Tampa Bay to keep the Rays here | Editorial, Jan. 21

Shall we build a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg or Tampa? Not on my dime. The Rays cannot even fill half a stadium. Why are they here? They need to close up shop and leave. Major League Baseball doesn’t belong here. Too bad, because it is nice, family-oriented entertainment unlike football or ice hockey. To suggest perhaps the Rays might do better in a new stadium in the Ybor section of Tampa is ludicrous. What, with no public transportation in place? Does anyone think people are going to travel to Tampa to watch baseball when they won’t even travel from North Pinellas to downtown St. Petersburg? There are not enough people or companies buying tickets to support costs.

John J. Tischner III, Dunedin

Working? Hardly

Florida lawmakers take aim at race discussions | Jan. 20

First there was the bill to be sure the national anthem is played at pro sports events in Florida, even though it always is. Now is the bill to shape race discussions in Florida public schools, to guard against problems in the future. Great! Now some legislators want to pass laws against things that have not even happened and may not ever. Floridians, this is your government hard at work.

Charles Smith, St. Petersburg