To the editor: George Skelton, in his March 24 column (“Newsom’s dilemma after providing Medi-Cal to undocumented immigrants”), misses the important thing level. Chopping Medi-Cal funding for our state’s undocumented immigrants is not going to lower the prices of medical care. Quite the opposite, it is going to enhance prices — except we need to deport all of them, which might be inhumane and a extreme blow to our state’s financial system.
Individuals get sick and finally require medical care, and somebody will all the time should pay the invoice. With no common system of financing care, it is going to all the time be these of us with non-public insurance coverage as we watch our premiums rise to pay for the care given to the uninsured. That care is much dearer as a result of these uncovered people wait till their situations are extreme and find yourself in our emergency rooms and hospital beds as a substitute of gaining access to common, lower-cost preventive major care by way of public insurance coverage.
Overlaying traditionally underserved and uninsured folks will all the time be dearer initially because the persistent situations lots of them have will want time to be introduced underneath management by way of entry to common, inexpensive care. Over time the prices will come down, as there shall be financial savings from averted emergency visits and hospitalizations. Chopping off take care of the undocumented is penny-wise and pound-foolish coverage.
Dr. Steve Tarzynski, Santa Monica
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To the editor: Skelton proves one doesn’t should be full MAGA to perpetuate one in all their greatest lies. He writes:
“ … Democrats whiffed on final yr have been inflation — brought on partly by federal authorities overspending … ”
If that have been true, how did President Biden scale back the annual inflation price between 2021 and 2024, given the large federal stimulus and infrastructure packages he championed? Studying your articles to see how the opposite facet thinks is a waste of time. You’re all alike.
Thomas Gillman, Los Angeles
