More frustration with care reform

Re “Moderate health bill enters fray,” Sept. 17, and “Health limits prompt backlash,” Sept. 16

We waited all this time and all Sen. Max Baucus could come up with is this?

Who has the stomach to pass this legislation? Rich fare for insurance companies (their stock will probably go through the roof if this passes) and thin gruel, if that, for the middle class.

Perhaps this dead-on-arrival healthcare reform bill, obviously a love child begat with the insurance industry, affords an ideal backdrop for taking the whole issue back to the drawing board.

Medicare for all is going be the dark horse that wins in the stretch. I hope.

Terry Lilly

Los Angeles

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My annual income has been limited for the last eight years because a large part of my “raise” has been diverted to maintain the costs of my healthcare.

In a time when there is a chance to really do something about the out-of-control costs of healthcare, you run a story showing outrageous premium costs compared to wages in a small article inside the paper.

Come on, that information is front-page stuff.

Jimmie Robertson

Laguna Niguel

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Although it may sound “unfair” for citizens and “legal immigrants” to have to cover the costs attributed to the “illegal immigrant,” consider the alternative.

Deny the “illegal immigrant” healthcare and our society will have millions of people with various diseases, infections and assorted communicative illnesses not being treated.

Does this make sense? Sometimes we need to make a decision between a bad choice and a worse one. I suggest the thought of millions of potential carriers of germs and disease outweighs the “unfairness” argument.

Michael Risman

Santa Monica

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I applaud President Obama’s stance that any government-sponsored health insurance reform will not be extended to undocumented immigrants; I hope he stands by his words.

Every day, as our “legal” poor get poorer and our quality of life deteriorates, I’m appalled that the government feels the need to roll out the red carpet for people who should not be here.

Please don’t try to convince me that providing such benefits is cheaper in the long run; I don’t buy it. Such an argument is simply an excuse for not addressing the larger illegal immigration issue.

Stop diluting our benefits by extending them to others who have no right to claim them.

It’s time to take care of our own.

Kathy Nuckles

Moorpark

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Regarding people who say they are satisfied with their health insurance: I don’t think they have exercised their plans much.

I suggest they try calculating coverage under their plan if, say, a family member got in a car accident.

Let’s say that person needed durable medical equipment, physical and occupational therapy, pain medication, a home health nurse and maybe adjustments to the home to accommodate the person.

They might find that their plan has a limited cap for durable medical equipment, a limited number of therapy appointments, that pain meds aren’t all included, not enough hours of home health nursing, and home modifications fall under the durable medical equipment column, already maxed out.

I was fortunate. My employer-provided insurance plan failed in covering the costs associated with my repetitive motion damage, but workers’ comp was my safety net.

Lisa Schoyer

Altadena

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The government needs to do three things to ensure universal coverage:

* Require employers to provide health insurance to employees.

* Make sure all legal residents who still don’t have health insurance can get Medicaid.

* Prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions.

Josh Rivetz Northridge