Taking the Pulse of Doctors’ Actions

It seems that the doctors (Monte and Don) McCanne habitually served illegal aliens over the years, knowing that by doing so they were inducing them to come and remain here. This appears to violate the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The doctors’ practices could well be principally ideologically driven. This kind of service rendered to illegal aliens is available in public hospitals. Thus they shouldn’t be compared to a missionary in the African bush, but rather making a political statement about the right of illegal aliens to be in this country.

By treating illegal aliens who come to their office for service, no questions asked, they knowingly encourage them to stay in the United States. This may well be their ultimate goal.

And reference to the orange groves owned by their father suggests that the doctors McCanne may have enough money not to have to worry about making up the difference between what they thought should have been paid for services and that which is provided by MediCal. Average Americans may have to worry about paying for the ultimate consequences of the McCannes’ acts, but they don’t.

If it is true that the doctors McCanne are using their skills to pursue an ideological goal, they might be interested in knowing that not only are their actions against the law, their behavior is encouraging the invasion of the United States by people who may not have their or the country’s best interests at heart.

NANCY THOMSON

Orange

* At a time when I am planning a future relocation of my medical practice to Ukiah, I found the Feb. 13 article (“Putting Health First”) on the physicians McCanne to be the perfect birthday present.

Convinced that the county as a whole, and the medical profession to a great extent, needed a heart transplant, I was delighted to learn that at least two primary care providers have rejected the prevalent solution to the health-care crisis, managed care, gatekeeping and rationing, and maintain a commitment to the principles of our profession.

And to learn about them in the news columns of The Times rather than in the crafted public relations efforts of the HMOs, reflects well on the survival of a proud tradition that goes back to Hippocrates. Hopefully, others in the medical profession will join them in a return to the values that motivated us in our youth, before the battles with bureaucracies became the prevalent preoccupation of the medical profession. I just might hang around for a few more years!

LAURENCE LEWIN, M.D.

Santa Ana