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Protect dialysis patients
from shocking bills
Last year I wrote to you about the shocking moment when my young daughter was diagnosed with kidney failure. Thankfully, I was able to be her part-time caregiver with the help of our primary physician through her dialysis treatment and the many health challenges she faced.
The last thing dialysis patients should worry about is money. That’s why I’m writing to you again to share my concern about a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows insurance companies to weaken health coverage for dialysis patients and push them to Medicare before the traditional 30-month transition window.
Being forced onto Medicare too soon and suddenly receiving invoices charging thousands of dollars puts too much stress on new dialysis patients.
I’m urging members of Congress to support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. This bill will allow patients to maintain their private coverage for the entire 30-month period post-diagnosis.
Margaret Hasan
El Cerrito
Cartoon only serves
to divide nation
I found your editorial cartoon in the Sunday Jan. 14, newspaper extremely disrespectful to the citizens of Iowa.
These are people who work very hard to put food on the tables of Americans and you drew them as goofy rubes who are actually allowed to vote. How does that “bring our country together”? Between that and disparaging comments about the bad Republicans who are MAGA (like making America great is somehow something to be ridiculed) supporters and white supremacists.
I thought Joe Biden was going to bring our country together. He has done nothing but divide it.
Kim Crow
Danville
Mask mandates, though
imperfect, were needed
The COVID-19 pandemic, spanning over three years, has prompted reflection on interventions like mask-wearing.
While masks are effective, mandates’ efficacy varies due to issues like noncompliance and incorrect usage. A 2021 study in the United States showed states with high mask adherence had lower COVID-19 rates, emphasizing adherence’s importance. Incorrect mask usage, prevalent despite high mask adoption, hampers effectiveness. Inconsistent enforcement, discomfort and public resistance further undermine mandates.
Overcoming these challenges requires strict regulations, uniform policies and widespread education on correct mask usage. Despite vaccination advances, well-executed mask mandates remain crucial in potential future outbreaks, offering a valuable defense when vaccines aren’t immediately available.
Shawn Tran
Sacramento
Immigration unites
Democrat, conservative
Re: “Immigrants aren’t poison; they’re America’s lifeblood” (Page A9, Jan. 7).
In Marc A. Thiessen’s column, he addresses the need and history of immigrants in this country. His words, “Our country does not have a singular bloodline to be poisoned. Americans can trace their roots to every corner of the planet. … We are the first in human history not built on blood and soil, but on an idea.”
This rings true to me as President Biden also said in his speech at Valley Forge on Jan. 5: the United States is built on an idea. I am pleased to say, I agree with both Marc A. Thiessen and President Biden.
Virginia Kamp
Berkeley
Police are pivotal
for a peaceful society
Re: “The secretary of defense can’t just go AWOL” (Page 6, Jan. 11).
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Did America’s defunding of a peaceful planet coincide with defunding the police? Bret Stephens laid a compelling case for the absence of world peace. Then flip to local reporters who wrote a very descriptive story about Oakland Police Department Officer Tuan Le’s funeral on Page 1. Le was a casualty of criminal chaos so egregious that even Gov. Newsom is on the brink of repealing Proposition 47.
Yes, Bret, “The world doesn’t police itself, and an unpoliced world is pandemonium” — much like the streets of America. Globally, a well-trained and trusted police force is the only bastion between good and evil.
Let’s reconnect the pieces to peace.
Mark R. Clifford
Moraga
