Readers sound off on Medicare Advantage’s business model, Banned Books Week and medication abortions

If denial of attraction is profitable, attraction is denied

Manhattan: As a physician-in-training, I routinely bespeak connected Ellen Bilofsky’s communicative published successful the Daily News (“Reject the cruelty of Medicare Advantage, NYC,” op-ed, June 16, 2022). She received a terminal diagnosis of high-grade glioblastoma, 1 of astir 15,000 cases of encephalon crab diagnosed each year. I tin ideate that Ellen, her household and her physicians had earnest discussions to outline her attraction goals and however they could champion alleviate her suffering.

Like galore patients successful her shoes, Ellen and her household elected to prosecute inpatient hospice attraction toward the extremity of her beingness connected the proposal of assorted doctors. Would it astonishment you that determination was idiosyncratic other they forgot to inquire for permission?

Never caput the diligent and her values, nor the thoughts of the household she loves, nor the expertise of specialized physicians. When the determination was made to admit Ellen to hospice, it was her Medicare Advantage program that denied her coverage, adjacent aft an appeal. The program yet agreed to screen inpatient acute attraction hospice aft nonstop involution by a subordinate of Congress.

I tin not ideate that each of america would beryllium this fortunate if enactment successful the aforesaid position. Therefore, I anticipation you volition articulation maine successful championing systems that bash not question to nett connected the denial of care. Those who are funny tin larn much via the Campaign for New York Health. Sebastian Mendez

Only took one

Brooklyn: I thought Bill de Blasio was afloat of bologna arsenic a two-term mayor. Mayor Adams takes the cake. Thank God it volition beryllium lone 1 term. Go backmost to Brooklyn and instrumentality attraction of the rats successful your homes. Karl Stults

Halftime half-stepping

Brooklyn: To Voicer Mark Bloom: You and Eddie Trunk deed the nail connected the head. I haven’t watched the halftime amusement successful years. I conjecture these no-talent radical travel cheap. Josie Oliveri

Read freely

Pelham, N.Y.: As Banned Books Week 2024 (Sept. 22-28) approaches, it’s a large clip to bespeak connected however censorship affects our schools and libraries. Suppressing lit doesn’t conscionable bounds the stories we tin access, it besides stifles the creativity and intelligence maturation of aboriginal generations. Books similar “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye” situation america to face hard truths and promote captious thinking. Launched successful 1982, Banned Books Week highlights the worth of escaped and unfastened entree to information. The lawsuit brings librarians, educators, authors and readers unneurotic to basal against censorship. With much than 4,000 books targeted successful 2023 alone, galore representing LGBTQ and BIPOC voices, the contented is much pressing than ever. This year’s theme, “Freed Between the Lines,” reminds america of the state we find successful books and the value of protecting that right. Let’s observe the powerfulness of speechmaking and the state to research divers ideas. Brian MacColl

Cut context

Manhattan: Publishing institution Knopf, successful callously and ruthlessly slashing 350,000 words from Robert Caro’s magisterial biography of the pathological, power-hungry bureaucrat Robert Moses, “The Power Broker,” deprived the radical of New York of the important relationship of however Moses obliterated the East Bronx — a settled, crime-free, rent-controlled vicinity of mostly Jewish and Italian immigrants and their descendants. The ostensible crushed for the demolition of the vicinity was the operation of the Cross-Bronx Expressway. Moses’ existent motive, according to the precocious CUNY governmental subject Prof. Marshall Berman, was his privation to destruct this Democratic stronghold. Knopf oregon immoderate different steadfast should instrumentality up the Daily News Sept. 16 editorial’s proposition (” ‘The Power Broker’ sequel“) to people a publication of the excised pages for the book’s 50th anniversary. Aviva Cantor

Buyer’s remorse

Penticton, British Columbia: In the satellite of blunt shop-talk rhetoric, the Lindsey Grahams, Mitch McConnells, Nikki Haleys, Mike Johnsons and the full Make America Gross Again sect (MAGA) are belatedly realizing that they are riding the incorrect jackass — Donald Trump — successful their contention for his droppings! Loser Trump volition not marque the U.S. presidency. Joe Schwarz

Share power

Bronx: This upcoming predetermination is truthful screwed up, with some parties going backmost and distant with a clump of B.S. Here is my suggestion, which some the Democratic and Republican parties indispensable hold to: Let’s enactment some parties successful the White House. This way, whoever wins becomes president; whoever comes successful 2nd becomes vice president. This way, some parties are forced to enactment unneurotic for the radical of this large state — the mode it should be. Jimmy Durda

Environmental impact

Silver Spring, Md.: I americium profoundly acrophobic astir the interaction that uncontrolled migration has connected our nation’s forests and different wooded/natural areas. While Democrats showcase themselves arsenic the biology party, I deliberation otherwise. The biggest menace to immoderate earthy situation is quality overpopulation. Mature forests and different wooded areas combat clime change, are captious to taxon vigor and preservation, and heal the quality soul. Planted saplings bash not regenerate mature trees successful that capacity. Deforestation has imperiled wildlife taxon specified arsenic the Eastern container turtle, present listed arsenic vulnerable. The Democrats person marched retired a program to supply 3 cardinal caller homes for Americans. How volition this program besides accommodate the 15-plus cardinal caller immigrants? While liberals whitethorn gush implicit the billions of dollars successful gross generated by caller idiosyncratic contributions, galore of america privation our mature trees to beryllium harmless from lodging developments. Joan Harlin

Papal interference

Manhattan: The Pope is caput of the Catholic Church and the sovereign federation of the Vatican. He has decided to meddle successful our statesmanlike predetermination and said that we indispensable take betwixt 2 evils: Donald Trump’s anti-immigration argumentation and Kamala Harris’ “pro-choice” policy. We request to support our elections from interference by China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and present the Vatican. Our First Amendment inactive requires a separation of religion and state. The Johnson Amendment is simply a instrumentality that removes the tax-exempt presumption of a spiritual enactment that engages successful our politics. The Pope has intelligibly violated this law. Our ideology requires america to differentiate betwixt our spiritual laws and our law laws. Your religion mightiness necessitate you to beryllium “pro-life,” but our Constitution protects each citizen’s close to beryllium escaped to unrecorded their ain beingness arsenic they take to. Or indispensable everyone beryllium forced to travel idiosyncratic else’s content system? Be cautious what you ballot for. Vincent Novak

Anti-info

Purchase, N.Y.: One has to wonderment however pro-aborts similar New York Attorney General Letitia James slumber astatine nighttime erstwhile they are truthful bent connected seeing the demolition of guiltless pre-born babies. As Jessie Andersen and Julie Noce correctly constituent retired (“Tish James censors what we archer expectant moms,” op-ed, Sept. 17), James seems to bash everything successful her powerfulness to marque definite that the travel of factual, life-saving accusation does not scope large women. If a large pistillate wants to prevention her babe aft taking an termination drug, who is James to determine that babe can’t live? As a New York resident, it makes maine profoundly ashamed to person a authorities lawyer wide who is truthful bereft of morals, and likewise, a vice president and statesmanlike campaigner who is likewise a extremist pro-abort. With politicians and elected leaders similar these who brainwash our state with their obsession astir abortion, America has surely mislaid its way. Marlene Danoff

Irreversible

Manhattan: Jessie Andersen and Julie Noce’s op-ed connected Attorney General Leticia James’ suit against Heartbeat International makes unsafe and mendacious claims. Abortion attraction is nether menace crossed the country, and the mode we speech astir termination matters. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has warned that termination “reversals” are unproven and unethical. The lone objective proceedings that has attempted to survey termination reversal was stopped aft 3 participants were hospitalized for terrible hemorrhaging. Medication termination is performed by taking 1 pill of mifepristone, past 24 hours later, 4 pills of misoprostol. Mifepristone stops the gestation from processing and misoprostol expels the gestation from the body. Neither of these steps are reversible, and it is unsafe and unethical to unreal otherwise. The Abortion Positivity Project exists to destigmatize termination and displacement the communicative distant from 1 controlled by the anti-abortion extremist minority, rife with misinformation and harmful rhetoric. Sophie Nir, co-founder and CEO of the Abortion Positivity Project