Health care costs for patients with a cancer diagnosis

This opinion letter to the editor is an echo published in the Grand Forks Herald a Minnesota  newspaper.

To the editor,

No one wants to hear the words "you have cancer." 

For some of us, that fear has been realized, for others, we face increased risk. If that day comes, having access to affordable, adequate health coverage may be the difference between life and death.

American Cancer Society research shows individuals who do not have health insurance are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a later stage when it's costlier to treat and more difficult to survive.

When the health care law was enacted, it established patient protections in health coverage plans to ensure individuals with a health history or those who may be diagnosed in the future don't lose coverage because of their illness. But those protections are now threatened by a proposed rule from Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. The proposal would allow short-term plans to be offered on a more long-term basis. These plans skirt the critical patient protections other health plans must cover. 

Not only does this mean more plans could once again deny people coverage based on their health history, but it could divide the marketplace and that instability could drive up premiums of more comprehensive plans to unaffordable levels.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, Sen. John Hoeven, and Rep. Kevin Cramer, we need you to stand up for these critical patient protections, and help ensure cancer patients, survivors and all at risk of developing the disease have access to the health coverage we need. Please urge Secretary Azar to stop this flawed regulation from moving forward to ensure patients don't lose access to affordable, meaningful coverage.

Nicole Streich, Grand Forks, Minnesota

Children of immigrants are Americans - protected from deportation

A majority of Americans agree with protecting the immigration status of children, under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), by preventing their deportations, just because cruel Donald Trump and his Trumpzi administration wants to please the right wing political base. 

Regrettably, I get the impression that Donald Trump and the Trumpzi cult would just as soon put all of who are children of immigrants on deportation airplanes. Indeed, if the Trump administration can deport children of some immigrants, what's to stop them from doing the same to all of us?

Here's a letter to the editor published in the North Dakota, Grand Forks Herald written by Bruce W. Furness ~ Fargo

Letter: Saving DACA should be a priority in U.S.

To the editor,

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Act, which allows children who entered the U.S. to request permission to remain here for school, university attendance, or work, was (sadly and wrongly!) terminated in September, by Donald Trump (and the Trumpzi)  administration.

Though not receiving a great deal of attention in North Dakota, the DACA program has allowed nearly 100 young people to come forward, pass background checks and live and work legally in our state. DACA helps these young people thrive economically and educationally.

Across our nation, DACA has changed the lives of nearly 800,000 young people who have lived in the United State since their childhood, allowing them to better contribute to their families and communities.

This month, 100 top business executives sent a letter to leaders in Congress asking them to quickly resolve this situation and to stop the deportation of the young 'DREAMers', 91 percent of whom are working and contributing to society. Failing to resolve this issue could lead to a $215 billion reduction in the U.S. gross domestic product.

The arrival of people with new accents, new ideas and new ways of doing things are part of what fueled the growth of Fargo while I served as its mayor. 

In fact, in Fargo, we welcomed people from all parts of the U.S. and the world to help grow our economy and fill job openings. With nearly 13,000 openings in North Dakota today, we can look to the Dreamers to help keep our state's future economy strong and vibrant.

Besides the economic impact, there is an emotional impact on these young people who have only known life in America.

Contact Sen. Hoeven, Sen. Heitkamp and Rep. Kevin Cramer, to gain their support for the re-establishment of DACA (including a provision for their right to a path to citizenship!). 

We need quick restoration, not only to strengthen the economy, but because it's the right thing to do.

Bruce W. Furness,  Former mayor of Fargo

Donald Trump ignored Russia warnings

An echo opinion found in the Bismark Tribune, a North Dakota newspaper, published letter to the editor.  Maine Writer "echo blogs" are opinions found while randomly cruising the nation's newspapers. I'm particularly fond of finding and blogging from conservative newspapers, where there are plenty of anti-Trump opinions. Evindently, the White House doesn't read these contrarian points of view, otherwise, there would be more consideration given to uniting people in what should be the Trump "base". 
Clearly, there is trouble in @dateline - Trumpville.

http://bismarcktribune.com/opinion/letters/trump-got-warning-related-to-russians/article_26ec6d02-93d6-58f9-af40-72879b852b9d.html

Trump got warning related to Russians

On Dec. 18, it was revealed that the FBI briefed the Trump and Clinton campaigns back in August 2016 that "the Russians are coming -- the Russians are coming," and of course it was Donald Trump who couldn't bring himself to embrace the FBI conclusions.

Trump has since demeaned the agency, and all of law enforcement for that matter, in any and every way possible. 

During one of the debates, Hillary Clinton called Trump a "puppet" of the Russians, and he retorted "no puppet -- no puppet." Of course, Clinton knew better because she and her campaign got the same briefing from the FBI.

As bad as Trump's constant lying and denials of anything that resembles the truth may be, it's equally disheartening that our Sen. John Hoeven and Rep. Kevin Cramer can't exhale a bit, even long enough to utter any hint of condemnation of the president's aberrant (look that one up in the dictionary) behavior. 

In their defense, most Republicans in the House and Senate are holding their collective breaths, wondering what mean-spirited, hateful untruth will tumble from Trump's mouth, and what their defense of his behavior will be.

I didn't, nor ever could, vote for Hoeven or Cramer, but I do deserve better representation from them. 

Although Republicans finally passed something that resembles a tax bill (aka "tax cuts for the rich")~ (they're desperate to pass anything that has their name on it and that Trump can sign) ~ and that may be enough for Trump's base, but it doesn't bode well for the majority of Americans in the long haul.

Back to Trump for a final comment. His transgressions are numerous, but my guess is that Bob Mueller will hang his hat on obstruction of justice and money-laundering. 

Put those two things on a Post-it note and hang it on the fridge.

Ken Drovdal, Mandan