Letters to the editor (July 18): Health care, biking in Wichita

Health care for all

Why is it that none of the news media and other organizations who supposedly lobby for quality health care are not challenging our U.S. House and Senate to make the unnecessary repeal and replacement of Obamacare effective for not only the citizens of our country, but also for those who serve in House and Senate?

If those who were constructing this “new” package were required to be included in the GOP health care plan, then this coverage would be assured to be of quality and (relatively) fair coverage.

Address the abuse in health care

Waste, fraud and abuse. People were very aware of this before Obamacare was imposed on us. Haven’t heard it since. But until this is addressed, politicians can tweak and argue about health care until hell freezes over to no avail.

Shouldn’t be tough

While I appreciate the fact that health care reform is extremely complex, I am becoming increasingly impatient with our nation’s inability to work this out. We seem to have the worst of all possible worlds — too few Americans have insurance coverage and prices continue to skyrocket every year.

The people who gained coverage under Obamacare must find coverage elsewhere if they lose it under repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Fewer people with coverage only puts further upward pressure on premiums for those of us with coverage.

I hope our senators will listen to the concerns of fellow Kansans as they work to craft a solution to this incredibly important issue. We need to make sure that adequate coverage is available, those with pre-existing conditions aren’t priced out of the health insurance market, and that hospitals have the federal funding they require to keep us all healthy.

Support for Schneikart-Luebbe

I am writing about the surprising and sudden resignation of my friend, Christine Schneikart-Luebbe, former Dean of Student Life at WSU, in light of last month’s article revealing the rapidly growing number of employees paid to leave WSU.

Christine’s standout trait is that she is dedicated, never approaching anything half-heartedly. She has always been a champion of change and is adaptable, having worked for many types of people during her 23 years at WSU. With the changing of the guard in July 2012, I watched her stretch and change to fit each new expectation placed on her.

Christine has never wavered in her support of WSU students. She created programs to benefit the university including the Student Ambassador Society and Dean’s Scholars, two of her most successful programs attracting highly sought-after students to campus.

Talented and resilient, Christine will certainly find another position. I doubt WSU will find another Christine Schneikart-Luebbe. It is most certainly my alma mater’s loss.

Biking becomes easier in Wichita

Wichita is a great city for bicycling, and it’s gotten noticeably better the past couple of years. I ride every day for both sport and transportation. I can now ride a couple of blocks from my house to get on dedicated bicycle facilities (not sidewalks) and travel to most parts of the city safely.

Cyclists are not obligated to ride on bike paths or lanes or the sidewalk, but they may choose among these and streets to get to where they are going. Sidewalks are great for kids and short distances, especially on high-traffic streets. But they are far more dangerous than dedicated bike lanes and paths.

So put down the phone and drive safely, whether car, bike, scooter, motorcycle or some new version of vehicle we haven’t even seen yet.

This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 4:48 AM with the headline "Letters to the editor (July 18): Health care, biking in Wichita."