Short-sighted KidCare cuts do long-term damage | Letters to the editor

I am responding to your recent editorial, “Cold-hearted Florida, tossing kids off KidCare.”

I must express my profound disagreement about excluding more children from the Florida KidCare program. This is short-sighted and detrimental to the well-being of our society.

KidCare provides essential health coverage to low-income families, ensuring that children receive medical services they need. Health insurance is critical for the early detection and treatment of medical issues, which can often be resolved more effectively and at less cost if managed early. By removing children from this program, Florida risks increasing the incidence of untreated illnesses, which could escalate into more severe and costly health problems.

Furthermore, denying health coverage to children puts unnecessary strain on families who are struggling financially. Parents should not have to choose between paying for basic needs such as food and housing and securing health care for their children. It’s unconscionable to put families in that position.

Preventative care and regular medical checkups, which KidCare facilitates, are far more cost-effective than emergency interventions and hospital stays that could arise from untreated conditions. Reducing access to KidCare will likely increase the burden on emergency health care services.

More broadly, society benefits when its children are healthy and thriving. They represent our future workforce, innovators and leaders. We invest in a more prosperous, stable and productive society by investing in their health and well-being. Conversely, neglecting their health care needs jeopardizes not only their futures but also the future of our state.

In summary, the decision to cut children from the KidCare program lacks compassion and foresight. I strongly urge policymakers to reconsider this decision and prioritize the health and well-being of Florida’s children.

Michelle Rivas, BSW, Deerfield Beach

Doctor what’s-his-name

Re: Trump confuses the name of the doctor who tested him 

I don’t know what more White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson (now a Texas congressman) could have done to make Donald Trump look good.

He told the press that Trump passed his annual physical with flying colors. He fudged the facts about Trump’s memory, mental acuity and psychological health being A-plus. No, Trump never “aced” a mental fitness test.

Considering all that, I can’t believe that Trump embarrassed the doctor by getting his name wrong and calling him “Ronny Johnson.”

I mean Jackson. Or is it really Johnson? Just call him Doctor Johnson-Jackson.

David Kahn, Boca Raton

Drinking the Kool-Aid

In a letter to the editor, Osvaldo Valdes praised Donald Trump to high heaven and told his critics, “So gloat and drink your champagne now. It will be flat by November.”

Well, I would rather drink flat champagne than the Kool-Aid Trump is peddling.

Ray Koterba, Miramar

Navigating Las Olas

We can’t seem to decide whether Las Olas Boulevard should be a business district or a park. It’s failing at both.

A recent letter to the editor from the president of Las Olas Company addressed the revolving door of businesses that have opened, closed and then re-opened elsewhere.

The huge shade trees in the median, combined with curbside parking, make Las Olas difficult to navigate, and it’s hard to find parking there. Still, resistance to change impedes progress to improving access to businesses or to develop Las Olas as a grand promenade.

Janet Jones, Fort Lauderdale