This harebrained new scheme poses a major threat to Medicare | Opinion

Medicare change concerns reader

As a Medicare beneficiary since 2011, I am concerned about a plan to change original (traditional) Medicare based on so-called cost-cutting measures — to reduce fraud and waste.

This new threat to Medicare, aka the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model (WISeR), is a pilot program instigated by a political appointee, Dr. Mehmet Oz, of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that requires prior authorization.

The historic Medicare Act of 1965 opened access to fair, comprehensive treatment by qualified doctors with the aim: What is best for the patient? WISeR purports to eliminate fraud and waste. Instead, it places greater financial burden on children, seniors and the poor by delaying or denying claims necessary for preventive healthcare procedures prescribed by our physicians.

It must be top priority to protect the components of our healthcare system for all workers and voters. “Wealth care” robs from the public purse. The question to be asked is: Who should we trust more for our healthcare needs, medical doctors or private insurance companies seeking profit first?

If you believe healthcare is a human right and not a privilege, please support the Pocan-Schakowsky Resolution that disapproves of the WISeR Model.

Richard Grassl, Pasco

Calley not a good example

Jim Tow in his Nov. 30 letter concerning obeying unlawful orders sadly uses the example of Lt. Calley’s order prompting the MyLai Massacre in Vietnam. Assuming that he gave such an order to kill women and children at MyLai, was it unjustified? I fought in Vietnam. Thankfully, I was in a heavy artillery unit and was never in the situation presented to the troops engaged in the battle at MyLai.

In Vietnam, we were fighting against an enemy, whether the Viet-Cong or the North Vietnamese Army. Our orders were to kill the enemy to prevent their takeover of South Vietnam. In the battle at MyLai ,the Viet-Cong were hiding in tunnels.

Those Vietnamese in the tunnels included women and children who would pop out of the tunnels to throw grenades or fire upon the U.S. troops, then retreat into the tunnel. Therefore, the U.S. troops did not know who their enemy was. It could have been a child. The troops, therefore, fired upon the Vietnamese in self-defense rather than following an order.

I don’t know if Jim fought in Vietnam, but I suspect he would have reacted the same way as Lt. Calley and those under his command.

Charles Robinson, Prosser

Who will pay for state of Liberty?

Every time I write a letter I say to myself: “This is gonna be the last one. I mean, what’s the use, nobody ever reads these anyway in this precarious excuse for a newspaper, so why bother?” Actually, that is not true, I read them, and my wife does too, but only because I bring them to her attention.

Now, as usual, I could not resist this hapless compulsion, so once more I begin: Here we go again with the breakaway eastern Washington-northern Idaho new state thing called Liberty or something revolutionary like that, and who better to govern our new state?

Paul S. of course, and he won’t be stealing our money for this new state via property taxes. So how is he going to get money to operate our new state? How about donations?

That sounds okay, and I will volunteer to be the first donator, assuming of course this new state comes to fruition.

My only terms are that the new state is named after me, call it the “Dave” state. Yeah, I am getting to like it already.

David P. Sisk, Richland

Trump peace plan sells out Ukraine

Cobbled together by the Trump administration and Russia, a 28-point peace plan envisions several concessions from Ukraine, including shrinking its army, handing over territory to Russia and ruling out a path to NATO membership.

Asked if the U.S. will pull back support if Zelenskyy doesn’t accept the plan, President Donald Trump told reporters he wanted an answer from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by Thanksgiving, but didn’t rule out an extension to finalize terms.

Asked if the U.S. will pull back support if Zelensky doesn’t accept the plan, Trump told reporters, “Well, at some point he’s going to have to accept something.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the plan “could form the basis of a final peace settlement.” He accused Ukraine of being unrealistic.

The proposal is facing harsh criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, including Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.

Rewarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by this proposed peace plan will create more distrust of the U.S. by its European allies and provide an opportunity for further Russian aggression. Trump will get no plaudits from U.S. voters or a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

Bill Petrie, Richland