Health Programs
If Gov. Gray Davis’ words about health care in his State of the State speech (Jan. 8) are taken at face value, he is intending to extend the Healthy Families medical care program to the parents of children currently enrolled. This is a laudable goal, but it is also discriminatory against single people, gay and lesbian people, and couples who are childless either for reproductive health reasons or by choice. Davis should take the bold step of extending Healthy Families to cover all uninsured children and adults below a certain means.
The vast numbers of uninsured Americans are a public health problem that could affect everyone, not just the uninsured. We have not had to deal with a major, life-threatening epidemic of a casually communicable disease in quite some time. However, the longer the uninsured languish without access to health care, the more likely such an epidemic might be.
MICHELLE KLEIN-HASS
Van Nuys
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