HOSPITALS
Affluent patients get break on care
In response to “Patients paying more upfront for treatment” (News, April 23), I believe some important issues related to hospital charges were omitted. For one thing, there is no transparency in what hospitals charge for a given elective procedure, and consumers are unable to do comparison shopping in advance. Instead, each person pays something different, depending on whether the patient has private insurance, is on Medicare, Medicaid, or has no insurance at all. These charges are often unrelated to the actual costs incurred by the hospital.
As far as having to make a larger down payment, the system favors the wealthy. The person who has the cash to pay more upfront often gets charged hundreds or thousands less than the poor person forced to make monthly payments after the procedure. Hospitals are not part of a free marketplace.
DIANE TORRES, DOUGLASVILLE
HOUSING COSTS
Some willing to pay to save open space
Columnist Thomas Sowell may be right that the liberal idea of leaving open space in Palo Alto has driven up home prices there, but he is right for the wrong reason (“A sure sign of liberalism: sky-high housing prices,” Opinion, April 23). People pay more for what they want, and nobody treasures their parks and nature preservation more than Californians. I have lived in California, so I speak with some authority. Conserving nature isn’t cheap, but it is not unprofitable. A great many Georgians also appreciate the great outdoors. Everywhere we’ve lived, we’ve been willing to pay more to be a little more intimate with nature. It’s an important reason we and so many people love living in Atlanta, especially in the spring.
MARGARET CURTIS, ATLANTA
EDUCATION
A valid life lesson for school truants
Michael E. Kanell’s article, “Life spans decline for less-educated whites” (News, April 18), should be a subject taught in schools and homes. The feature should be plastered to the walls of high schools throughout the nation. It should be fastened to every refrigerator and stapled to every kid’s forehead, if necessary. Parents should matter-of-factly ask their underachieving children, “OK, you want to drop out? Here are some things to consider: You’re more likely to die young, earn less, never have nice things, and always have a dead-end job. And that’s just the beginning. It’s your choice.” Bravo to the AJC and to Mr. Kanell for the frightening, yet insightful and informative, wake-up call to all youngsters of every race, everywhere.
AL SMITH, MARIETTA
