Doctors expected to work miracles

The July 1 implementation of Hawaii Medical Service Association’s payment transformation for pediatricians will limit reimbursement to doctors who provide health care services to children (“HMSA tweaks the way it pays to treat keiki,” Star-Advertiser, June 26).

This payment model is an experiment with Hawaii’s children. Furthermore, limiting payments during a time when the cost of everything is increasing will result in a reduction of the doctors’ ability to provide 2017-level health care.

Despite reducing their already meager reimbursements, HMSA claims that this new payment model will improve health care and give pediatricians more time in the office with sicker patients.

HMSA is expecting pediatricians to provide care for their patients with limited resources, as was done 2,000 years ago near the Sea of Galilee, where 5,000 were fed with five loaves of bread and two fish. Pediatricians do wonderful things for their patients, but I don’t know of any who do miracles.

Franklin Young

Makiki

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VA’s failures show single-payer flaws

So now the Veterans Administration has a billion-dollar budget gap (“Lawmakers blast VA chief over sudden budget gap,” Star- Advertiser, June 22).

Is anyone surprised? The VA, responsible for providing health care to our veterans, has been rocked by decades of scandals and corruption of astonishing magnitude. To mitigate long waits and insufficient capacity, the VA regularly turns to the private sector to provide appropriate care.

The U.S. government, as the single payer for these veterans’ health care, seems absolutely incapable of properly caring for even this tiny portion of our population. Yet this is the same single-payer system that so many naive and delusional progressives demand should take over our nation’s health care. Were that disaster ever to happen, there would be no more private sector to salvage the program or to care for you.

Government does few things well or efficiently; wisdom dictates we give government the fewest essential tasks.

John M. Corboy

Mililani

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Rethink locations of Waikiki bike stations

There is concern over placement of some of the bikeshare stations. Four stations come to mind:

>> Lewers Street has vehicles parked on both sides. It is heavily trafficked by trolleys and tour buses and there are no bike lanes. On one side, 31 bike stations are lined up together.

>> On Kalaimoku Street, just before the left turn onto Ala Wai Boulevard, there are 11 bike spots. Cars will cut the corner and the bike area closely. Again, there are no bike lanes and there is parking on both sides of the street.

>> Olohana Street is congested, with no bike lane and parking on both sides.

>> The busy corner of Kalakaua and Saratoga has bikeshare slots but no bike lanes.

Not only is traffic a hazard at these locations, but bicyclists will be forced to use sidewalks, which is illegal, or put themselves and motorists at risk on these congested streets.

Please rethink these areas before there are serious injuries or fatalities.

Wendy Russell

Waikiki

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Cynthia Thielen has great ideas for isles

What I’m going to suggest may sound goofy, but let me explain.

I think we need a huge, gold-plated statue of state Rep. Cynthia Thielen on the Capitol grounds. I say this because following her ideas would give the state an enormous economic boost, with more jobs, more products and more tax revenue for government.

The first idea is to use wave power for energy. Why should we spend money out-of-state for oil to generate electricity? The waves come to our islands for free. Use wave power. It would boost our economy, and possibly attract jobs due to cheaper electricity.

The other idea is to permit farmers to grow hemp (not marijuana). Our climate is ideal, and the farmers could use the income. New products could be produced here in the islands, creating even more jobs.

Let’s pay attention to Thielen’s great ideas. We can benefit.

Mark Terry

Wahiawa

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Hemp cultivation can work in Hawaii

Thanks to Vicki Viotti for the article on industrial hemp and the long, hard work of state Rep. Cynthia Thielen to make hemp a possibility for Hawaii farmers (“Cashing in on hemp,” Star-Advertiser, June 25).

In view of the current national opioid/heroin/fentanyl epidemic, and the billions of dollars that leave our state for the purchase of alcohol and prescription drugs that are far more dangerous and addictive than marijuana, it seems absurd to worry about the possibility of hemp growers sneaking a few pot plants into their crops.

And wouldn’t it be nice if the Hawaii lands now used by pharmaceutical companies for experiments with dangerous pesticides were repurposed for hemp cultivation?

Neil Frazer

Kailua

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Children must learn discipline, maturity

What is going on with all the road rage and domestic violence in Hawaii? Is it possible that we are reaping what we have sown?

I believe that there is a spirit of entitlement in this generation. Parents are taught to give their children what they want, and do what they want to do, without giving discipline.

When their children grow up and don’t get what they want, they have temper tantrums that they cannot control. That comes out as violence.

It might take more than medication or counseling to solve the problem. Get to the root of the problem — lack of character and maturity.

Alan Kim

Moiliili