Letters to the editor for Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016

Health exchange is a failure

I’m so angry with our health care exchange. For 2015 I had Prominence Health Plan; it worked fine. When open enrollment started, I had to make a selection by Dec. 15. My current plan was not going to be offered, so I went on the exchange and selected another Prominence plan. There are only two health insurance companies to choose from on the exchange for our area.

I signed up Dec. 15, and on Dec. 26 I received a letter from Carson Medical Group stating it received notice of Prominence’s intent to amend its agreement and reduce its reimbursement to Carson Medical Group, saying the terms are well below any agreement Carson Medical Group has with other plans. Carson Medical Group opted out of the exchange plan with Prominence. Carson Medical Group also noted Prominence made this amendment well into open enrollment. Prominence still has not sent out notification.

I looked at the provider list for Prominence in Carson City, and there are only three doctors and not one gynecologist. This affects more than 700 people in Carson City who are on the exchange with Prominence. I lost my doctor, gynecologist, lab and clinic, which I’ve been with for 38 years.

Affordable Care Act is a failure. I called my senator, congressman, Prominence, and Department of Insurance.

This last minute amendment is a terrible impact to many. I want to know who governs the time period for contracts to be settled? Why is a contract being amended during open enrollment? This diminishes opportunity for patients to make informed choices. What a mess.

Pam Perondi

Carson City

Flaws of capitalism creating culture problem

“The poets were not alone in sanctioning myths, for long before the poets the states and the lawmakers had sanctioned them as a useful expedient. They needed to control the people by superstitious fears, and these cannot be aroused without myths and marvels ...” — Strabo, Greek geographer, 58 B.C. - 24 A.D.

Man has never changed. Look at the monsters they’ve created for us today. Terrorists, drugs, gangs, pedophiles and many more to keep us afraid of one another and what we do not understand.

It is time we stopped fearing one another and begin to understand. For there is something greater to fear.

As a Biblical reference, there is a beast, and it does have 10 heads. A beast we created to serve us, but one we have freed and now feeds off us.

Ten industries are traded on the S&P. Two or three giants dominate each. These are the Ten Kings of the new world. Our elected officials are their governors and factors.

The fatal flaw of capitalism is, it needs to grow. It has grown where there is little left to devour. What happens when there is nothing for it to gain?

The beast loves its own flesh. Outside of themselves and their kingdoms the very wealthy have only two concerns — overpopulation and its environmental effect. A time comes when we peasants/consumers will become a burden upon their resources and upon their environment. So what is this abomination that causes desolation?

Kelly Jones

Carson City

City should find other ways to raise money

Did I read this correctly? Sunday, Jan. 3, “Glowing Future,” an interview with our City Manager Marano, “He said city government looks forward to whether more money becomes available for deferred street maintenance and other local road needs via a vote of the people on gasoline tax indexing.”

Do we have no other way in which to pay for this but a new tax? Really, when will it stop?

Larry Abbott

Carson City

Leave downtown Carson Street alone

What a shame that the powers to be will ruin a beautiful downtown street and landscaping.

If you think that diagonal parking will work, come over to Yerington. See how easy it is to back out of your parking spot with limited visibility as to who is coming down the street toward you.

Murl Williams

Yerington

Farmer’s critique of newspaper owner missed the mark

In “A Nevada Newspaper Saga” in the Jan. 3 Appeal, columnist Guy Farmer expresses his concern that the new owner of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, might “use the paper’s editorial page as his personal soapbox.”

One of Farmer’s concerns is that “Adelson is a fervent supporter of Israel.” Does Farmer really think the mainstream press needs another newspaper spewing anti-Israel propaganda?

Farmer also has this problem: During 2008 he used his own newspaper soapbox to campaign for presidential candidate Barack Obama. In his Oct. 26 column that year Farmer cited as one reason for supporting Obama that he is mixed-race, just like Farmer’s own kids. Sheldon Adelson, on the other hand, is a consistent principled libertarian conservative who never fell for Obama’s “transformative” campaign narrative.

Farmer has no credibility to publicly question what Adelson may or may not do with his media property. In any event, shifting the Las Vegas Review-Journal to the right would be a welcome change from the mainstream media herd.

Lynn Muzzy

Minden

Some public servants shouldn’t be reelected

A heartfelt thank you to the Nevada Appeal for running the large photograph of Carson Street all lit up for the holidays. In the picture were traffic islands with trees, shrubs, and other plants which added to the beauty of the scene.

Sadly, this is the last year we will have such a beautiful site as the public servants who were elected to represent us have decided they know what we want better than we do ourselves. When it comes time for reelections, remember their actions and how much they have listened to us, those they promised to serve.

As for those in appointed positions who seem to ignore the wishes of the citizenry, remember they were appointed by those elected by us.

Tod B. Jennings

Carson City