If denial of care is profitable, care is denied
Manhattan: As a physician-in-training, I routinely reflect on Ellen Bilofsky’s story published in the Daily News (“Reject the cruelty of Medicare Advantage, NYC,” op-ed, June 16, 2022). She received a terminal diagnosis of high-grade glioblastoma, one of about 15,000 cases of brain cancer diagnosed every year. I can imagine that Ellen, her family and her physicians had earnest discussions to outline her treatment goals and how they could best alleviate her suffering.
Like many patients in her shoes, Ellen and her family elected to pursue inpatient hospice care toward the end of her life on the advice of various doctors. Would it surprise you that there was someone else they forgot to ask for permission?
Never mind the patient and her values, nor the thoughts of the family she loves, nor the expertise of specialized physicians. When the decision was made to admit Ellen to hospice, it was her Medicare Advantage plan that denied her coverage, even after an appeal. The plan ultimately agreed to cover inpatient acute care hospice after direct intervention by a member of Congress.
I can not imagine that all of us would be this fortunate if put in the same position. Therefore, I hope you will join me in championing systems that do not seek to profit on the denial of care. Those who are interested can learn more via the Campaign for New York Health. Sebastian Mendez
Only took one
Brooklyn: I thought Bill de Blasio was full of bologna as a two-term mayor. Mayor Adams takes the cake. Thank God it will be only one term. Go back to Brooklyn and take care of the rats in your homes. Karl Stults
Halftime half-stepping
Brooklyn: To Voicer Mark Bloom: You and Eddie Trunk hit the nail on the head. I haven’t watched the halftime show in years. I guess these no-talent people come cheap. Josie Oliveri
Read freely
Pelham, N.Y.: As Banned Books Week 2024 (Sept. 22-28) approaches, it’s a great time to reflect on how censorship affects our schools and libraries. Suppressing literature doesn’t just limit the stories we can access, it also stifles the creativity and intellectual growth of future generations. Books like “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye” challenge us to confront difficult truths and encourage critical thinking. Launched in 1982, Banned Books Week highlights the value of free and open access to information. The event brings librarians, educators, authors and readers together to stand against censorship. With more than 4,000 books targeted in 2023 alone, many representing LGBTQ and BIPOC voices, the issue is more pressing than ever. This year’s theme, “Freed Between the Lines,” reminds us of the freedom we find in books and the importance of protecting that right. Let’s celebrate the power of reading and the freedom to explore diverse ideas. Brian MacColl
Cut context
Manhattan: Publishing company Knopf, in callously and ruthlessly slashing 350,000 words from Robert Caro’s magisterial biography of the pathological, power-hungry bureaucrat Robert Moses, “The Power Broker,” deprived the people of New York of the crucial account of how Moses obliterated the East Bronx — a settled, crime-free, rent-controlled neighborhood of mostly Jewish and Italian immigrants and their descendants. The ostensible reason for the destruction of the neighborhood was the construction of the Cross-Bronx Expressway. Moses’ real motive, according to the late CUNY political science Prof. Marshall Berman, was his wish to destroy this Democratic stronghold. Knopf or some other publisher should take up the Daily News Sept. 16 editorial’s suggestion (” ‘The Power Broker’ sequel“) to publish a book of the excised pages for the book’s 50th anniversary. Aviva Cantor
Buyer’s remorse
Penticton, British Columbia: In the world of blunt shop-talk rhetoric, the Lindsey Grahams, Mitch McConnells, Nikki Haleys, Mike Johnsons and the entire Make America Gross Again sect (MAGA) are belatedly realizing that they are riding the wrong jackass — Donald Trump — in their competition for his droppings! Loser Trump will not make the U.S. presidency. Joe Schwarz
Share power
Bronx: This upcoming election is so screwed up, with both parties going back and forth with a bunch of B.S. Here is my suggestion, which both the Democratic and Republican parties must agree to: Let’s put both parties in the White House. This way, whoever wins becomes president; whoever comes in second becomes vice president. This way, both parties are forced to work together for the people of this great country — the way it should be. Jimmy Durda
Environmental impact
Silver Spring, Md.: I am deeply concerned about the impact that uncontrolled immigration has on our nation’s forests and other wooded/natural areas. While Democrats showcase themselves as the environmental party, I think otherwise. The biggest threat to any natural environment is human overpopulation. Mature forests and other wooded areas combat climate change, are vital to species vigor and preservation, and heal the human soul. Planted saplings do not replace mature trees in that capacity. Deforestation has imperiled wildlife species such as the Eastern box turtle, now listed as vulnerable. The Democrats have marched out a plan to provide 3 million new homes for Americans. How will this plan also accommodate the 15-plus million new immigrants? While liberals may gush over the billions of dollars in revenue generated by new worker contributions, many of us want our mature trees to be safe from housing developments. Joan Harlin
Papal interference
Manhattan: The Pope is head of the Catholic Church and the sovereign nation of the Vatican. He has decided to meddle in our presidential election and said that we must choose between two evils: Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policy and Kamala Harris’ “pro-choice” policy. We need to protect our elections from interference by China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and now the Vatican. Our First Amendment still requires a separation of church and state. The Johnson Amendment is a law that removes the tax-exempt status of a religious organization that engages in our politics. The Pope has clearly violated this law. Our democracy requires us to differentiate between our religious laws and our constitutional laws. Your religion might require you to be “pro-life,” but our Constitution protects every citizen’s right to be free to live their own life as they choose to. Or must everyone be forced to follow someone else’s belief system? Be careful what you vote for. Vincent Novak
Anti-info
Purchase, N.Y.: One has to wonder how pro-aborts like New York Attorney General Letitia James sleep at night when they are so bent on seeing the destruction of innocent pre-born babies. As Jessie Andersen and Julie Noce correctly point out (“Tish James censors what we tell expectant moms,” op-ed, Sept. 17), James seems to do everything in her power to make sure that the flow of factual, life-saving information does not reach pregnant women. If a pregnant woman wants to save her baby after taking an abortion drug, who is James to decide that baby can’t live? As a New York resident, it makes me deeply ashamed to have a state attorney general who is so bereft of morals, and likewise, a vice president and presidential candidate who is similarly a radical pro-abort. With politicians and elected leaders like these who brainwash our country with their obsession about abortion, America has surely lost its way. Marlene Danoff
Irreversible
Manhattan: Jessie Andersen and Julie Noce’s op-ed on Attorney General Leticia James’ lawsuit against Heartbeat International makes dangerous and false claims. Abortion care is under threat across the country, and the way we talk about abortion matters. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has warned that abortion “reversals” are unproven and unethical. The only clinical trial that has attempted to study abortion reversal was stopped after three participants were hospitalized for severe hemorrhaging. Medication abortion is performed by taking one pill of mifepristone, then 24 hours later, four pills of misoprostol. Mifepristone stops the pregnancy from developing and misoprostol expels the pregnancy from the body. Neither of these steps are reversible, and it is dangerous and unethical to pretend otherwise. The Abortion Positivity Project exists to destigmatize abortion and shift the narrative away from one controlled by the anti-abortion extremist minority, rife with misinformation and harmful rhetoric. Sophie Nir, co-founder and CEO of the Abortion Positivity Project
This post was originally published on here
