Letters to the editor for Friday, Dec. 20, 2013

Obamacare will hit seniors especially hard

Mr. Bo Statham recently wrote an article for the Appeal extolling the virtues of Obamacare. What he failed to address was the horrific effect it will have on senior citizens. I recently finished a book written by Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., constitutional scholar, patient advocate, and former Lieutenant Governor of New York. She is one of the few people who have read the entire 2, 572 pages. Her are some of the excerpts:

Cuts to future Medicare funding will pay for more than half of Obamacare. Hospitals, for example, will have $247 billion less to care for the same number of seniors than if the law had not passed.

The Obama health law awards bonus points to hospitals that spend the least on seniors.

Obamacare’s emphasis on preventing sickness rather than treating it will shortchange the seriously ill (primarily seniors?).

Doctors will be paid less to treat seniors than any other patients, even less than patents with Medicaid.

Your doctor’s decisions will be monitored for compliance with federal guidelines (the death panel?).

Right now if you are seriously ill, the best place to be is in the United States.

A man diagnosed with prostate cancer has a 99 percent chance of surviving in the United States. But in Europe, nearly one in every four men diagnosed with prostate cancer dies form it.

If Mr. Statham relies on Medicare as I do, he is in for a rude awakening when the full law is enacted.

Don Gurney

Carson City

Korean War vets group needs more members

About 30 Korean War veterans attended an honorary dinner held at the Fandango on Dec. 11. Mayor Bob Crowell, our guest speaker, battled against a vociferous group over a low partition as he addressed our forgotten war group and mentioned our being ignored and unappreciated.

He compared our causalities that averaged 1,000 deaths each month and close to 3,000 wounded, as compared to Vietnam deaths of 100 per month and 1,500 wounded.

From my view, American’s attitudes have not changed about the Korean War. There is a need to enlarge our group.

Our membership chairman is Don King, 775-882-4888.

Ed York

Washoe Valley