Health insuranced reform is endangered by lobbyists

Health insuranced reform is endangered by lobbyists

EDITOR:

The voices of Ohioans are at risk of being drowned out as the health insurance industry pumps millions of dollars into efforts to kill substantive health care reform. What I know from talking to people across Ohio is the great majority of working men and women want comprehensive health insurance reform.

That’s why I made a trip to Washington, D.C., earlier this month. I delivered a message and over 5,000 letters from working Ohioans to our senators and representatives. Over and over again in their letters, our friends and neighbors wrote in favor of health insurance reform that controls costs, provides guaranteed coverage for all Americans, holds insurance companies accountable, includes a strong public option, requires all employers to pay their fair share and rejects new taxes that would hurt middle class families that are already struggling to survive. We sent a strong message that working Americans are paying close attention to the health insurance reform debate and will hold their elected officials accountable.

We expect that Sens. Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich, along with Reps. Tim Ryan and Charlie Wilson, will represent our interests over those of the very same insurance companies that continue to drive up costs while denying life sustaining coverage to thousands of Americans.

RONALD GAY Jr.

Vice President-Communication Workers of America Local 4300

Canfield

Third World conditions too close to home

EDITOR:

Please, say it isn’t so.

The article on the Oct. 28 Vindicator front page about deplorable living conditions had to be a story from a Third World country. Something like this couldn’t happen here in the U.S.A. Wrong, it was right in Canfield, to be exact.

I haven’t been able to get those two little boys off my mind ever since reading the article. If I told you what I wanted to see done to the parents, I probably would be put in jail. It is sacrilegious to bring your two sons up in such filthy conditions. You are lucky they are alive, the seven dogs and three cats weren’t so lucky (or maybe they were). If these people needed help, there are people and organizations out there that could and would have helped them.

How could this family fall through the cracks, and not be noticed? Someone should have been paying attention.

JOANIE FARMER

Columbiana