When protests break the law
As long as the protesters don’t interfere with the legal activities of ICE personnel, and as long as they are protesting in a legal manner, I their right to advocate for a wrong-headed political position. That’s their right.
The moment their protest becomes illegal, as in blocking streets, burning cars or buildings, threatening others, or disobeying the lawful orders of the police, then they become criminal thugs and they should be arrested and charged.
I fully President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard to arrest those in Los Angeles who actively and deliberately interfered with the lawful duties of the ICE personnel. I wish upon them the maximum penalty the law will allow, because if you deliberately interfere with the activity of law enforcement then you are part of the problem, and a criminal yourself.
Olan Knight, Murphy
Profit over health care
Re: “Nothing beautiful about ugly Medicaid cuts — Kicking people off this vital coverage by adding more red tape is not good policy,” by Benjamin J. Dueholm, Monday Opinion.
Thank you for publishing Pastor Dueholm’s sobering column about the current istration’s efforts to reduce the number of needy people who can access basic health care via the Medicaid system.
I long ago concluded that the real problem with our national health care program is that the U.S. system is not based on care for the sick and vulnerable. It is based on maximizing profit. A recent study I read concluded that our system will generate $325 billion-$350 billion in profit this year.
I am reminded of when I worked for a major nationwide corporation that provided what would be considered a good employee health program. Most of my employees based in Detroit and El Paso rejected our company insurance. They would simply cross the bridges into Canada or Mexico and pay cash for excellent and way more affordable care. And, contrary to often stated arguments against a national program, they did not have to wait to see a doctor.
Thomas Kelly, Lantana
Freezing Medicaid rates wrong
Thanks to The Dallas Morning News for running this column. As the Senate reviews the House reconciliation, it is going to be interesting as to what modifications are proposed, especially to provider taxes, eligibility and directed payments.
As you know, the president issued an order Friday night instructing the Health and Human Services secretary to ensure Medicaid payment rates are not higher than Medicare to the extent permitted by applicable law.
Once again, these actions are painted with a broad brush of Medicaid fraud and abuse. Nothing is further from the truth. Reputable providers want to eliminate waste. Bad actors in health care should be dealt with appropriately.
The problem with this order is that countless studies have established that Medicare payment rates for hospitals cover only between 82% and 88% of costs associated with the care of Medicare patients. To freeze payments at Medicaid rates would further decrease Medicaid reimbursement for care of the most vulnerable in our society.
Thanks again for a very well-written column by Pastor Dueholm.
W. Stephen Love, Irving
President and CEO, Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council
2 Senate bills worth applause
Re: “Patients, doctors now have more time to talk — Change in state law gives physicians the opportunity to give crucial perspective on test results," by David E. Gerber and Philip A. Bernard, Friday Opinion.
I have had little reason to compliment either our state or federal politicians in my adult life and, certainly, not in recent years. However, I must applaud our statehouse for ing Senate Bill 922 (delaying reporting test results before the physician has time to review and interpret them for their patients) and Senate Bill 379 (disallowing use of food stamps for buying products devoid of any nutritional value — soda and candy).
Both of these are examples of the bipartisan effort and rational thought we expect of our representatives (dare I say, our “employees”) as they carry out their assigned duty to improve the lot of all citizens. Thank you for offering, at least, a brief breath of fresh democratic air in the miasma that surrounds us on a daily basis.
Gary Strong, MD, Fort Worth
Bullet trains must be profitable
Re: “Bullet train to drive profit — High-speed rail could be a boon for D-FW, recent report says," Sunday news story and “Without funding, route may go off rails — Train line linking D-FW to Oklahoma City out of state budget, future now in limbo," Saturday Metro & Business story.
We were treated to dueling headlines last weekend. On Sunday, an article on the front page promised, “Bullet train to drive profit.” However, on page 3B of the Saturday paper, we were informed that the lack of a $7.05 million subsidy in the recent Texas budget to match that provided by Oklahoma could result in the demise of the Amtrak route north from Fort Worth toward Oklahoma City.
According to the Amtrak center, the Amtrak system in the U.S. has not been profitable since its inception through 2024 and the federal government has provided the to keep it afloat.
Amtrak management tells us that without the federal subsidy, currently over $1 billion per year, enger rail could not remain operational.
While bullet trains would help solve two of the problems faced by enger trains of sharing rails with freight trains and a slow speed, I see no evidence to the bullet train proponents’ argument that modern high-speed trains would attract enough customers to be profitable.
Robert Hamilton, Plano