‘No Frills’ Health Insurance Needed

* Re “Doctor’s Rx for What Ails Medi-Care” (April 7): I applaud Dr. Charles Plows, the immediate past president of the California Medical Assn., for having unselfishly expended so much effort on behalf of the uninsured.

As a registered Republican, it has long been my philosophy that governmental intervention should be an act of last resort. The time to resort to our state to provide statewide health insurance is now.

I am calling on all state legislators, especially the Republicans, to heed CMA’s call to enact the “no frills” Affordable Basic Care insurance program without further delay. After all, the party for the Republicans should not come to be known as one for the Repugnants.

If our legislators remain too insensitive to the plight of those less fortunate, then we voters should vigorously push an initiative for its enactment. Meanwhile, the time is running out for our already over-strained emergency medical care network.

JOHN T. CHIU, M.D.

Corona del Mar