Health insurance inequities

Re “For Congress, healthcare’s no worry,” Aug. 2

This is rich. Just a few members of Congress decline to accept the generous healthcare package that we subsidize for our representatives. Most of the Republicans and many of the Blue Dog Democrats, while refusing or hesitating to extend relatively modest healthcare benefits to their own constituents, gladly accept government-provided Cadillac healthcare packages for themselves.

Yet your average member of Congress is surely wealthier than your average American -- and therefore better able to pay for his or her own healthcare. The greed of the Blue Dogs and the GOP is almost as galling as their hypocrisy.

Ellen Switkes

Sherman Oaks

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Please reprint this article periodically to remind us of the health insurance that government is subsidizing for our elected officials. In fact, you don’t have to print the whole article, just the options available to members of Congress when you have an article that quotes all the “terrible things” that will happen when a healthcare bill is passed.

Kaiser Permanente is way ahead of the curve on preventive medicine, computerized medical records, availability of facilities and, yes, limiting some procedures. Congress is out of touch with the country. Aren’t we all entitled to adequate coverage?

Betsy White

Costa Mesa

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The one issue not addressed in describing the federal employee health plan is that as long as the insurance companies have an antitrust exemption that providers do not, they will forever be the victor in this debate.

There will never truly be competition in the marketplace as long as all the insurance players can legally “predetermine” what they will accept. Providers are often left with “take it or leave it” and remain virtually powerless in any form of negotiation.

Mike Pavlovich

Long Beach