Tucson Speaks Out: April 5

Health versus wealth

Paul Gordon's excellent opinion piece published April 3 is the best analysis of our country's health crisis that I have read. When we learn of not having enough doctors and of our nation's healthcare system being the most expensive in the world yet having one of the worst results among high-functioning societies, we are often baffled. How can this be? Gordon's answer: "Healthcare has been redesigned from promoting health to extracting wealth."

In the supposed rationale of saving money, the system has become bloated with so much profit-motivated red tape that endless hours are spent with unnecessary paperwork requesting prior authorizations, challenging clinical judgments, and slowing the process with endless insurance approval documents. Structural changes are needed to put health care back in the hands of professional providers, with success determined by good health results for the nation rather than high profits for the financial system, which is impeding doctors from doing what they are trained to do.

Delores Keahey

Southeast side

Health coverage denials

Sincere thanks to Dr. Paul Gordon for his excellent op-ed piece citing a major new study documenting how physicians are being driven out of medical practice by health insurance companies denying care to patients, in order to increase the profits of the insurance companies. The study recommends adoption of a national, single-payer system, such as Medicare for All.

This problem reminds me of Richard Scrushy, founder and CEO of HealthSouth Corporation, one of the nation’s largest health insurance companies. When a trial found Scrushy responsible for HealthSouth’s fraud, he was required to list his assets for the court, to assist in paying damages to the victims. The court records showed that he owned four mansions, ten boats from yachts to speedboats, two planes, including a Gulfstream jet, 30 cars including a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce, and fine art by Picasso, Renoir and Miro.

When your health insurance company denies treatment prescribed by your doctor, remember that the CEO desperately needs a new yacht.

Brooks Keenan

Oro Valley

Big game coverage

I am writing this on Friday before the Final Four has begun. I have been waiting all week for the Star sports section to be filled with pre-game analysis on both the UA and Michigan (my two alma maters). What do we get? Lots of football, softball/baseball and Roadrunner news. Today, a very long piece on UA walk-on Addison Arnold and one on the installation of a new banner in McKale.

If you go to Michigan news online, you’ll find information on what to expect on Saturday: Lendenborg vs. Peat; Aday vs. Krivas; front courts, back courts, X-factors; more comparative stats than you might want to know. They’re pumping up this battle of No. 1 seeds, the game of the year between two teams that have had extraordinary seasons.

The Star has some good sports writers, but strange and disappointing decisions about what Wildcat fans and many Tucsonans want to see.

Peter Bourque

Midtown

The end is near

Donald J. Trump’s Waterloo has arrived. He personally sealed his defeat with a war nobody wants, soaring inflation, exploding gas prices, and a world that hates and mistrusts him. Midterm elections are seven months away.

Jerry Wilkerson

SaddleBrooke

Government shutdown

I have never once supported a government shutdown — whether full or partial — as it only harms working American citizens.

The ongoing partial government shutdown, suspending funding for the Department of Homeland Security, has been in effect for many days.

This shutdown is affecting everyday Americans who sacrifice to keep our nation safe.

I refuse to play the blame game. Congress should be ashamed.

Right now, thousands of the men and women responsible for keeping our country safe are going to work without pay.

TSA agents are showing up at airports before dawn. Border Patrol agents are standing watch along our southern border. FEMA employees remain committed to responding to natural disasters across the nation. They all are doing their jobs —because they are committed to this country.

More than 500 TSA agents have already quit. Security lines are growing longer.

This is not just unacceptable — it is dangerous.

This shutdown is a failure of leadership.

This shutdown is wrong. Congress needs to act now.

Tom McGorray

Northwest side

A king, or is it something else he seeks?

The “no kings” protests have signified that our president is seeking a kingdom, with him as the king. But I feel he is taking a different direction. He does not tolerate dissent and would love to ban it completely. He uses propaganda to manipulate the electorate to lock in his power. He has created a façade of machismo for his movement, treating women as inferior. He has targeted and criticized certain groups to be scapegoated. He has pushed a far-right authoritarian agenda with blatant hatred for the “left.” He has a belligerent foreign policy, coveting new lands while angering allies. He has divided society into “us vs them,” causing a national schism. He has invited increased government/business collusion, to the point of the two forming an unofficial merger. Trump has promoted extreme patriotism in his followers.

These are all characteristics of fascism. This is what he seeks, so let’s be more accurate and say “no fascists,” instead of “no kings”.

Steve Rasmussen

Foothills

Back to the moon

Yea! America is going back to the moon. We should have never left, we had the resources and the talent to make a permanent place to live, work and do research. Instead our fearless leaders decided to squander our wealth on pointless wars in Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan and now Iran (did I miss any?). Shameful, and a terrible waste of time, money and talent.

Richard Govern

Foothills

To be or not to be: efficient?

For instance: April 3: Due to serious symptoms, Mary is referred to a specialist and calls for an appointment. “The next available appointment is Sept. 19.” Mary asks, “Can you put me on your cancellation list?” and is told, “There’s no list. You can call every morning to see if there’s a cancellation.”

Sally, needing a routine biannual follow-up, calls the specialist’s office that afternoon, for an appointment. “Can you come in tomorrow? There's been a cancellation.”

Good health care and efficient? Calling every morning, requiring a receptionist/scheduler to answer the phone to say, “There are no cancellations?” How easy to create an online system of names of those needing an appointment sooner rather than later. A scheduled patient calls to cancel. The next patient on the cancellation list is called, “There’s a cancellation. Can you come in on Thursday at 10:15 a.m.?”

It seems so simple, and no need for DOGE.

Registered Health Information Administrator, retired

Camille Gannon

West side

Firing of military leaders

Army Chief of Staff Randy George was just fired by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. This is among the last eleven military leaders released by President Trump or Secretary Hegseth. No reasons were ever given for the dismissals, but wanting to go in another direction or different viewpoints were among those suggested. It's also possible that these long-lasting leaders had disagreements over the direction of the Iran war or about the possibility of putting boots on the ground. Like many decisions made in the Trump era, reasons don't seem to matter as much as a spur-of-the-moment thought or a whim. To me, it would make more sense to keep the vastly experienced military leaders during a war instead of replacing them with those of lesser tenure. Again, it seems to be another example of the lunatics leading the asylum. Such a sad state of affairs, isn't it?

Philip Reinecker

East side

Stop the Save Act and restricting mail

The Save Act will require American citizens to show documents like passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Almost half of Americans do not have a passport. Many voters do not have a printed birth certificate, and it costs money to get one if you can find a place. It targets women whose married names and passports are not the same as their birth certificate.

Restricting mail in voting which is going to the Supreme Court will hurt Republicans more than Democrats most likely. This was pointed out in the Star, April 2. Stand up in opposition against these anti-American efforts. It's Un-American to play games and manipulate to stop people from voting.

Pat Bannon

Midtown

Tucson water supply options

Your April 2 edition contained a “Tucson Opinion” article elaborating on “Suggested options to address crisis of water supply,” which I found informative. However, I find lacking in this article and others in the Arizona Daily Star the option of using treated Colorado River water (CAP) directly rather than exposing it to evaporation losses in above-surface infiltration ponds and storage in underground aquifers, where leakage undoubtedly occurs. What am I missing?

Richard Pierson

Southwest side