A cruel system

I commend the Post-Gazette for the Town Meeting on Health Care Wednesday night. You provided an excellent panel discussion to an audience of nearly 500 people who sincerely care about health-care reform.

If we knew how cruel our current system is, I think the majority of Americans would clamor for universal coverage as a basic right of citizenship. Dr. Robert Kormos, director of the UPMC Artificial Heart Program and a Canadian-trained physician, made this clear.

Today, somewhere in Allegheny County, there is a child with untreated asthma. There is a 50-year-old unemployed man with diabetes who cannot afford treatment. There is a woman with ovarian cysts who does not get regular care from a family physician. Yes, these people can rely on emergency services when their conditions become life-threatening, but regular treatment by a family physician who knows their medical history is the standard of care for such conditions. It's a standard we can afford in this, the richest nation on the planet.

We, the people, can make a moral commitment to assure access to health care for every man, woman and child legally residing in this country. It can be a privately run insurance system. It doesn't have to be "socialized medicine." It simply has to be an open system that covers everyone. Let's tell members of Congress to get this train rolling. Any senator or representative who does has my vote.

CAROLINE L. KAUFMANN
McCandless

It's up to you

In response to the Nov. 4 letter "Rationing Exists": Insurance companies do not make the decisions the letter writer suggests; rather, these are decided by the policy one has.

You have many policies to choose from, but if your company provides you with insurance, then it decides how you are covered. Personal responsibility comes into play on every decision we make concerning our lives.

The pre-existing mantra is for the most part bogus. If you are covered at work and your employer drops you, all you have to do is buy the policy yourself and there is no pre-existing clause. All policies have a list of participating physicians and a drug formulary. (Almost all drugs are covered.) The reason some hospitals and doctors do not participate in certain plans is their reimbursement rate is so small, which is why the premiums of those policies are low.

If one were denied service because of domestic violence, then I would suggest an attorney would be in order. Remember, you get what you pay for, you need to take personal responsibility and TANSTAFL (there ain't no such thing as a free lunch).

JOHN R. McDONALD JR.
Washington, Pa.

Can't wait to respond to our letter writers? Go to community.post-gazette.com/blogs.

We welcome your letters. Please include your name, address and phone number, and send to Letters to the Editor, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh 15222. E-mail letters to letters@post-gazette.com or fax to 412-263-2014. Letters should be 250 words or less, original and exclusive to the Post-Gazette. All letters are subject to editing for length, clarity and accuracy and will be verified before being published.

Town Talk, a discussion forum on issues of the day, is featured exclusively in the Opinion section on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.