Letters to the editor: COVID-19, logging, medical bills
COVID-19
If people have to be in quarantine because of COVID-19, the first place they should be held is Mar-A-Lago. The President should step forward to show how serious he is about stopping the spread of COVID-19 by donating Mar-A-Lago to be the place of quarantine. If Mar-A-Lago gets full, Trump hotels should be donated one-by-one until all needs for quarantine have been met. This administration has had almost two months to prepare and we are still not prepared. If COVID-19 is going to be a small problem like the President says it will be, he should be happy to do his small part. If he is as informed as he says he is, he shouldn’t be at all worried that he will lose money.
Now that the income tax has been reformed, I have had to pay taxes every year. If I can do my part, certainly the president will want to do his part to help out in this national crisis. I am a retired elementary school teacher, and I don’t own any golf courses (or cattle ranches). I think every citizen should do a fair part in the response.
Katherine Zuckerman, Boise
Medical bills
When you get in an accident and rush to the hospital, you shouldn’t be wondering if your health insurance company will cover your bill. Unfortunately, as health insurance companies narrow their networks, many Idahoans are discovering surprise gaps in their coverage.
Health insurance companies want clients to stay in their network, where they’ve negotiated lower rates. If you go out of network, insurance companies may pass the bill onto you. As an emergency room doctor, who cares for all patients regardless of their ability to pay, I believe this is wrong.
Patients need to be kept out of billing disputes.
Insurance companies are trying to solve this problem by getting lawmakers to pass government rate setting legislation. They want the power to set rates for physicians, regardless of if it is fair or covers the cost of treatment.
This could have serious consequences for patients, particularly those in rural areas where specialists can be limited.
I don’t want my patients to discover a surprise lack of health insurance coverage. However, the current one-sided solution being proposed isn’t the answer. If health insurance companies and doctors come together, I know we can find a better way to care for Idahoans.
Nicholas Kroll, Ontario
Logging
The public should be very concerned about the Forest Service’s proposal to commercially log in the Cayuse Creek drainage on the Clearwater National Forest. The East Saddle Integrated Restoration Project would further develop the Toboggan Ridge Road and Cayuse Creek Landing Area deep within the quiet backcountry. Cayuse Creek is a prized blue-ribbon fishery for anglers from across the region and country. These cold, clean waters feed Kelly Creek and offer excellent habitat for cutthroat, as well as threatened Bull trout.
The logging and associated road construction would destroy the aesthetics and primitive nature of the area. The Toboggan Ridge Rd. currently bisects the Weitas Creek and Kelly Creek Roadless Areas on the forest, and development would further compromise the future of this area being recommended for wilderness. If the Forest Service were truly interested in restoration, the agency would instead decommission the road, which is highly prone to landslides and washouts. Repairing the road also comes at a high-cost to taxpayers.
The Forest Service is trying to slip this project through during the forest revision process. Please submit a comment today. The deadline is March 16. Email your comments to Amy Boykin at comments-northern-clearwater-north-fork@usda.gov.
Brett Haverstick, Moscow