Readers write
Credit: pskinner@ajc.com
Medical funding should be a social good
As explained by Mike King in his AJC Opinion piece, “Why a beloved hospital failed — and why it doesn’t have to be this way,” July 20, the Atlanta Medical Center came to its end because it couldn’t survive in our country’s environment of profit-oriented medical care.
King is correct. The United States stands out among all wealthy societies as the only place where health and medical care are supposed to exist as businesses. In other wealthy countries, it’s presumed that health is — and should be — a social good, not a commercial product. Those societies pay for their doctors, nurses, clinics, hospitals and public health services through progressive taxation plans that save money for the population. They don’t permit high overheads, lobbying or skimming profits off every collected dollar. Their medical coverage is essentially universal (everybody included in the same plan) because that’s the ethical and less expensive solution.
Medical funding in Georgia and the U.S. is in a gloomy place right now. A bright spot can be found among the younger doctors, nurses and trainees who won’t accept the commercial distortion of their duty to deliver care where it’s needed. It’s time for our politicians and bean counters to follow the lead of the more idealistic, coming leadership.
HENRY KAHN, ATLANTA
Republican donor harms party’s potential
Once again, a person of high political influence has injured his party’s potential through his corruption. This time, Republican Brant Frost IV is alleged to have swindled money from his investors. His party is now under pressure to return the contributions received from him, his family and their companies. A Ponzi scheme appears to have been involved.
Like numerous others on both sides of the political spectrum, past instances of political efforts have been tainted by money gained through corrupt sources. What politicians need to realize, at the most basic level, is that such actions eventually harm their party instead of helping it — in their goals of accomplishments for America and beyond. These discoveries only give ammunition to the opposite side in all subjects under debate, as to what is good for our nation. The inescapable result is that a subject needing to be addressed is subordinated to the obscuring of it by corruption of any kind.
Our nation was established by our Founding Fathers to escape tyrannies conducted by a few powerful people and to give dignity and a better life to the population. What a waste to continue these interferences to achieve better outcomes.
TOM STREETS, ATLANTA
