Medicaid children; not a bad town; time for Pence; Social Security; why so many guns?; close the borders
Medicaid children
The American Health Care Act proposes drastic changes to Medicaid, including an $880 billion cut in funding over 10 years.
Most individuals covered by Medicaid are children, and yet children are not even mentioned in the proposed bill. Children constitute 70 percent of individuals covered by Texas Medicaid, but they account for only 30 percent of expenditures.
Medicaid is the single largest insurer of healthcare for children in Texas, covering Medicaid is the insurer for 40 percent of Texas children.
Children covered by Medicaid miss fewer days of school, are more likely to graduate high school and attend college, earn higher wages, and pay more taxes than those who are uninsured.
We have reached historic levels of insurance coverage for children in our state, and we cannot afford to lose ground, which will surely happen if the AHCA is enacted in this form.
Children are 100 percent of the future of our state. Medicaid ensures Texas will have a healthy future, and without it, we won’t.
Joyce Elizabeth Mauk M.D., Child Study Center,
Fort Worth
Not a bad town
I trust that all thinking people realize that just because some wacko, satanic-oriented person or organization says the town of Springtown is a “disgraceful, barbaric backwater town” doesn’t make it so. (“Satanic Temple puts up paddling billboard,” Friday)
Roger Campbell, Burleson
Time for Pence
What is wrong with Trump?
This guy should not be president. He is in way over his head.
It’s OK — Vice President Mike Pence can take over.
Trump’s tweet about Obama was the clincher. It’s unfortunate Pence should have to follow him, but history has a strange way of playing out.
Bill Eden, Southlake
Social Security
Social Security and Medicare are not entitlements. (Cynthia M. Allen column: “Trump should break promise on entitlements,” Friday)
Social Security is the people’s money that they contributed with every paycheck, along with their employer, to supplement their income when retired.
It is not an entitlement but basically a savings program for retirement and should be off-limits to all politicians.
Congress should be ashamed for using that money for other purposes and draining the Social Security Trust Fund, which they had no right to do.
I say keep your hands off Social Security and Medicare and work out a way to pay back the money stolen by our crooked politicians to fund some real entitlements which should be cut — and politicians should have the same retirement and healthcare as every other American.
Roger Richardson,
Mansfield
Why so many guns?
On Feb. 28, President Trump quietly signed a bill reversing the regulation that blocked mentally ill people from buying guns. No fanfare.
Are we so inured to the number of gun deaths that we ignore any sensible laws to protect us?
Is it no wonder there is such an increase in gun deaths? Any correlation?
Why have we become a country so afraid that we have to carry a gun? What kind of fearful world have we created for ourselves and our children ?
Gayle Bostic, Fort Worth
Close the borders
What has happened to America?
Foreigners and people in our country illegally get more help and rights than our own citizens.
We need to close our borders to all immigration.
Betty Clark, Arlington
Why does President Trump keep telling us the price of the border wall will be coming way down when he begins the negotiations?
Has he forgotten his promise that Mexico is paying for it?
Oh, wait — the U.S. taxpayers will be paying for the wall, and Mexico will pay us back later.
Are we really that gullible?
Kenneth Smith, Colleyville
This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Medicaid children; not a bad town; time for Pence; Social Security; why so many guns?; close the borders."