Letters on death spiral, GOP health plan, school spending, Trump lies

ACA is not in a ‘death spiral’

The spokeswoman for Gov. Sam Brownback stated that “to expand Obamacare when the program is in a death spiral is not responsible policy” (“Kansas Senate votes to expand Medicaid,” March 28 Eagle). We keep hearing that the Affordable Care Act is in a death spiral, meaning a cycle in which premiums rise and healthy people continue to leave the market.

However, the Congressional Budget Office recently reported the ACA as stable. Politifact has also discredited the claim that the ACA is in a death spiral.

Brownback needs to listen to the people of Kansas. The people of Kansas want access to health care. The people of Kansas deserve access to health care.

What choice?

I agree that the GOP health care plan did nothing to address health care costs (“GOP never faced health care reality,” March 16 Opinion). It only addressed how to pay for insurance and diminished access to insurance for much of the populace. The GOP did nothing to introduce choice in the health marketplace.

The public has no means of reference by which to determine how good a doctor or hospital is compared to any other doctor or hospital. There is no transparency in quality of service.

Patients are, and have always been, forced to choose in ignorance. Most doctors and hospitals do not publish their fees for services. The charges for medical care, supplies, auxiliary labor, etc., are always hidden until the bill is presented. Often the patients cannot even understand the bill. They have little means of challenging a bill.

We have allowed insurance companies to come between us and health care without any input whatsoever. We have not even demanded that insurance companies and the medical community disclose their agreements.

The GOP offered nothing new. The beneficiaries of their plan were only the wealthy taxpayers who fund GOP re-election campaigns.

Breakdown budget

Regarding “Wichita schools oppose funding plan, say more dollars needed” (March 28 Eagle): I think public school students should receive the best education available. But to better understand the dollar amount required to provide that education, I would like to see exactly where the dollars go.

It is misleading to refer to “per-pupil funding,” as not all of the dollars goes directly toward the students. As a taxpayer, I would like to see all personnel salaries and retirement benefits for superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, administrators, administrative assistants, teachers, para-professionals, nurses, food service personnel, maintenance, janitorial and any other personnel. I would also like to see a breakdown of monies allocated for building maintenance and repair, teaching supplies, food programs, etc.

It would be interesting to see exactly what line items have been cut or areas where each school has taken steps to reduce costs and waste and redundancy. What type of organizational structure is used by school districts and schools? Are they functional, divisional or matrix? Too many levels tend to hide inefficiency and waste while increasing overall costs.

Fed up yet?

President Trump lied for years about President Obama not being born in the United States. He lied throughout his campaign. He continues to lie as president, such as about Obama wiretapping Trump Tower. When do Trump voters get a stomach full of his lies and rebuke him?

Trump’s budget plan calls for cutting Meals on Wheels to little old grandmas who can’t cook for themselves. He doesn’t care, as long as taxpayers pay $3 million a trip to fly to him to Mar-A-Largo to play golf.

Trump’s budget cuts are the usual cuts Republicans live for – cuts to programs that help the poor. His health care bill would have caused millions of Americans to lose their insurance while making the rich richer.

This story was originally published March 30, 2017 at 5:03 AM with the headline "Letters on death spiral, GOP health plan, school spending, Trump lies."