Sorry State of Health Cutbacks

“States Cut Back Coverage for Poor” (Feb. 25), on cutting back health care for poor children, makes my blood boil. As a liberal Democrat, I am in agreement with President Bush’s war on terrorism and I know it consumes a large part of our federal budget. However, I am angry with the entire federal government for not giving us national health care. With the addition of prescription drug coverage, our model for Medicare should be extended to cover every man, woman and child in the U.S.

England, France and Germany--in fact, most of the civilized countries in the world--have free health care, some better than others, of course. I often hear the criticism that people in those countries have to wait for certain treatments that are not urgent, but they should realize that everyone still has the option of using private doctors, as we do here.

Stacey Peck

Los Angeles

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So Utah, the state with plenty of money to court and host the 2002 Winter Olympics, cannot come up with its 20% to fund health insurance for poor children. With our federal government paying 80% for the popular children’s health insurance program, isn’t it a sense of misplaced priorities that makes states--including California--limit or drop their support for the health of our wealthy nation’s impoverished children?

That looks like a mighty inhumane budget cut to me. And reduced medical insurance will also prove expensive as the costs of what medical care these poor kids do get are transferred to our overburdened emergency room network.

Timothy Tunks

Santa Monica

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We see that when it comes to providing necessary health care to families that need it (poor, yet who do not qualify for Medicaid), the Republicans once again rise from their caves to pronounce to the world: “Unless we rein in this very generous program--the Cadillac of all programs--it’s going to bust our budget and force a tax increase,” said Diane Kinderwater, a spokeswoman for New Mexico’s Republican Gov. Gary Johnson. Or much worse, our very own California state Sen. Ray Haynes (R-Riverside) states, “We’re only making our budget deficit worse and we’re doing it in the worst possible way.”

Are these Republicans for real? Since when does any Republican give a hoot about deficit spending or raising taxes--remember, bombing indefinitely and the phrase “Read my lips.”

Joan Magit RN

Northridge