Don’t victimize children in reforming health care

Don’t victimize children in reforming health care

It is stated that a coun- try is measured by how it treats its children and elderly. This saying is now being tested for truth as our government is discussing the fate of the Affordable Care Act. Our elderly in this country are provided health care coverage through the Medicare Program. Our elected officials have stated Medicare will not be changed and health- care coverage for Medicare eligible is assured. This is the right thing to do.

Our children, however, are not receiving this level of reassurance. While Medicare is the lifeline for our elderly’s health care, Medicaid is the lifeline for our children. The Medicaid program is the largest payer of health care for children. Of the 70 million people on Medicaid, 30 million are children. While the Affordable Care Act expanded coverage for an adult population, children were already being covered through Medicaid. The expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act did not result in increased Medicaid eligibility for children in Ohio, nor did it result in any significant increase in child enrollment in the program.

In order to provide assurance to those 30 million children and their families that their benefits will not be taken away, Congress should hold those children harmless in any effort to repeal the ACA. To punish our children in this debate is not consistent with our role as parents, adults and leaders seeking the betterment of our country.

The 30 million children on Medicaid were not beneficiaries of Medicaid expansion, and they should not be victims of its repeal, repair or revision.

William Considine, Akron

William Considine is president and CEO of Akron Children’s Hospital.

McNally should take the course in business ethics

Apparently Vindica- tor Columnist Bertram de Souza is still having trouble adjusting to the fact that the Democrats lost the last presidential election. So much in fact that he ignored the obvious in his recent column “McNally shares the love.”

In your March 11 edition, a news article titled “City cuts water workers pay after fraud case” states that the 25 workers will be required to complete a course in business ethics.

If de Souza had been on top of his game, he would have insisted that Mayor John McNally should be required to complete the same course at the same time that his water employees do.

Since the mayor is asking the citizens of Youngstown to re-elect him to the post, he should volunteer to take such a course to show his good faith and to atone for past indiscretions. Reality can be a cruel teacher.

Charles Walton, Canfield

Girl Scout is role model

What a refreshing article recently in The Vindicator about Rachael Grace Swim. She is a tremendous example to all girls and Girl Scouts. Her love of reading inspired the Gold Award Project, bringing books and music to blind children.

Rachael exemplifies the Girl Scout motto of building trust, loyalty, obedience, courtesy, service and compassion. If we all walked by her example, what a better world this would be. Go Golden Girl!

Bob Tracy, Campbell

Protect Social Security

It’s Unbelievable that some rich government officials that live in an Ivory Tower and feed off the money of the working man now want to take away our Social Security that they claim is charity. It is our money; we pay our whole lives into this for our retirement, so we do not have to depend on our so-called government.

Congressmen receive life pay, have their own special pension and health plans, and we fund all of this for them so they can take away our Social Security that we pay for.

It is not a public entitlement as House Speaker Paul Ryan calls it; it is earned through lifelong work.

Pamela Rose, Salem

Tressel makes right calls to benefit growth at YSU

While I have known Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel over the years through his support of the Children’s Mental Health Circle of Friends Foundation, the March 9 article regarding his presentation to the Austintown Optimist Club confirms my belief that he knows what is needed to secure the future growth and success of YSU, of which I am an alumus.

He understands that YSU sits in the middle of a large number of potential college-seeking students, a population of 6.3 million people. However, he also understands that unless you offer a product, in terms of cost, academic programs with career potential, and a campus environment that can attract those students, geography means nothing.

He understands that not all students want to share living spaces with three or four other people in a dormitory. So he has embarked in finding private developers to expand on or near-campus apartments, such as The Flats at Wick and University Edge Apartments.

He has kept YSU as the best state public-university value for the dollar, at a time when having to commit to large student loans is not attractive to students.

He has understood that young potential students need to see that they will be educated in fields that have future hope for well-paying jobs. Those are high-tech, computer-driven industries.

He is no longer a coach, but as president of YSU he knows what plays to call and when.

Gregory Cvetkovic, Austintown

Gregory Cvetkovic is the president of the Children’s Circle of Friends Foundation.

American Health Care Act portends doom for seniors

Many people think of the new American Health Care Act by Republicans as primarily just a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, but we have to realize that it will also end Medicaid as we know it.

According to the Ohio.gov website, “Medicaid supports two-thirds of Ohio’s nursing home residents.” If Medicaid is to be covered by block grants as proposed, history tells us that funding will decrease over time.

According to the 2016 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report, overall funding for 13 block grants for other programs “has fallen by 37 percent since 2000.” Who is to say that the same won’t happen for Medicaid? There are absolutely no controls in place to rein in health-care costs, so either taxes will be raised or Medicaid will be cut. What do you think is most likely to happen? And what will happen with all of those nursing home residents and others on Medicaid?

Call your representatives and tell them that the vast majority of us did not vote to have Medicaid eliminated or to have more nursing homes and hospitals shut down.

Diana Palardy, Poland

Honor office of presidency even if you oppose Trump

I appreciated the recent letter from Willie James Richards of Youngstown and agree with his statement, “The 2016 presidential election is over. We are all American citizens and one America now (for the next four years) truly cheering and rooting for the success of the same team, called USA captained by President Trump.”

I am appalled at the actions of so many Americans since the election.

Just because they didn’t get whom they wanted as president and because they don’t agree with some of the president’s decisions they are throwing temper tantrums and acting like babies.

Come on Americans, stop behaving like spoiled brats. Show the world how Americans support and back their president, even if they may disagree with him.

Maybe he’s not what I wanted as my president either, but I will honor the office he holds, pray for him to make good changes in our country.

We need your help. Come join us in making our country a strong leader in the world again.

Roberta Gillam, New Waterford