LETTERS: Obamacare wins, Republicans lose
To the editor:
The Affordable Care Act deadline is here. About 7 million people now have health insurance that they didn’t have before, including folks with pre-existing conditions that kept them off of insurance rolls, and those who had been kicked off of insurance programs due to so-called lifetime limits.
Obamacare has won and the Republicans have lost, because they were simply on the wrong side of the moral thing to do. And Republicans in charge of half of the states are still on the wrong side. Because of them, there are about 5 million citizens who still do not have medical insurance. I believe those Republicans are going to pay a political price.
RICHARD L. STRICKLAND
NORTH LAS VEGAS
Obamacare sign-ups
To the editor:
I am so thrilled that 7.1 million people have enrolled in Obamacare. Isn’t that about the population of Chicago? Don’t we have about 390 million more to go?
ESMAEL E. CANDELARIA
HENDERSON
Anytime insurance
To the editor:
Puzzle me this. If I can purchase car, home and life insurance any time I want, why can I not buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act anytime I want? Is there something so special and privileged about health insurance that you can only apply during an open enrollment period?
I can see no problem in providing policies with annual anniversary dates for renewal and allowing pro-rated price increases. This makes even more sense in light of the massive (and incomprehensible) blunders, delays and just plain screw-ups in launching universal health care, a very much needed social improvement for all Americans. Like the old saying goes, “When you’re up to your butt in alligators, you forget the original objective was to clear the swamp.”
I know it will take an act of Congress to forgo open enrollment periods and revamp the system for anytime registration. This gets us back to the original objective, getting eligible citizens signed up and clearing the swamp. I still can’t seem to wrap my head around the delay, inability and ineptness in getting folks signed up when platforms for mass insurance already exist.
As for our own vaunted Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, our legislative geniuses need to eliminate bundling premiums and have payments go directly to the insurer, which would then bill customers, just as we do with all other insurance premiums. Can you imagine having to send your car insurance premiums to the Department of Motor Vehicles to be subsequently distributed to your insurance company? Ha!
JOHN R. RUBINO
LAS VEGAS
GOP platform
To the editor:
The front page of Tuesday’s Review-Journal proclaimed in bold, “County GOP changes marriage stance.” In the article, Nick Phillips, the political director for the Clark County Republican Party, said the GOP stands for “personal liberty and personal freedom.”
Of course, no one in their right mind would debate against having liberty and freedom. Just recite the Pledge of Allegiance, which ends, “with liberty and justice for all.” Inherent in those words is freedom.
However, liberty and freedom without responsibility spells chaos. Trying to win votes, the GOP has sold its values down the river. There will never be liberty, freedom or justice if there is no personal responsibility.
MONICA CAFFARELLA
HENDERSON
Appellate court
To the editor:
Regarding John L. Smith’s column on the lack of intermediate appellate courts in Nevada (“Let’s agree: We need a Court of Appeals,” Wednesday Review-Journal), I would strongly suggest that Nevada adopt the Texas Two-Step.
In Texas, the Supreme Court hears only civil cases. Criminal cases are heard by the Court of Criminal Appeals. This division of labor unclogs dockets and allows for speedier decisions — and I daresay more equitable ones, as well.
DAVE HANLEY
LAS VEGAS
