Simplify bills so we know what’s in them

To the editor:

Why does it take Congress 1,000-plus pages to write a health reform bill? No one can read all that and make an intelligent decision on anything that long.

I think all bills should be restricted to no more than 20 pages so that all interested parties can read them and understand them.

Harold kosten

LAS VEGAS

No care

To the editor:

In response to your Aug. 16 article on UMC ("State of emergency"):

Please tell me how a great nation like America can forsake its legal citizens (in regard to health care) but provide unlimited care for illegal immigrants?

My husband and I were born and raised in America, but due to job loss we have no health insurance. Our only option was to move to another country, where we could apply as legal residents and belong to that country's national health program.

What's wrong with that picture?

Lisa Sabatello

LAS VEGAS

Evil insurers

To the editor:

In his Sunday commentary, Jonah Goldberg attempted to legitimize Sarah Palin's totally fictitious claim of government "death panels" by stating that President Obama "advocated an advisory panel of experts to offer 'guidance' on end-of-life care and costs. But don't you dare call it a death panel."

According to factcheck.org, there is no "panel of experts." These false claims seem to refer to a provision in H.R. 3200 that "would require Medicare to pay for some end-of-life planning counseling sessions with a health care practitioner."

Choosing to talk to your own doctor, even about these issues, doesn't sound like a "death panel" to me.

Then, Mr. Goldberg goes on to say that rationing health care "based on the quality of life and number of 'life years' " is "perfectly reasonable" and that if he were in charge of health care, that's what he would do. Of course, he was speaking hypothetically because he goes on to assert that this is "a really good argument for not giving me -- or anyone else -- that power."

But there is "someone else." If Congress votes down the public option, aren't we granting this power to the health insurance companies by default? I've had some dealings with insurance companies and I certainly don't trust them to make decisions that are in my best interest, especially when their profit margin is at stake.

How about you?

Bart Atwell

LAS VEGAS