Medicare tilted against doctors

Medicare just announced a decrease in 2014 reimbursement to orthopedic surgeons for a total knee replacement by 11 percent and a total hip replacement by 5 percent.

These are complex surgeries that are already under-reimbursed. They are also the most successful surgeries done in America.

With the increased expenses surgeons in Hawaii face, trying to survive in private practice will be even more challenging.

The premiums we pay for private health insurance recently increased by 40 percent, and yet none of that increase is going to the providers of health care.

Everyone may have health insurance, but will there be highly trained physicians to care for them?

Linda Rasmussen
Orthopedic surgeon, Windward Orthopedic Group
Kailua

Housing income figures incorrect

I wanted to provide some corrections to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) income definitions cited in a commentary by Sam Aiona ("801 South St. project is not ‘workforce housing,’" Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Nov. 27):

» According to HUD, "moderate-income" housing is for households making 140 percent or below the area household median income (AMI), not 80 percent or below, as was cited. Also, "low-income" housing is for households making 80 percent — not 60 percent — or below the AMI.

» In Honolulu for a household of three, those median income levels are $123,480 for moderate income (not $70,500 as stated) and $70,500 for low income (not $52,920).

» On average, "essential workers" such as construction workers make $62,960 (not $33,000 as cited); schoolteachers make $49,440 (not $60,000, as cited); and housekeepers, $24,720 (not $24,000), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2012.

Jesse Wu
Director, Office of Public Housing, Honolulu Field Office, HUD

Kakaako future turning bleak

I am in support of economic growth and living a quality life. The developments in Kakaako sound like such an ideal plan to support working-class professionals like teachers and firefighters.

However, when one looks closer, it smells fishy. It smells like propaganda from developers, bankers, unions and other political and business groups that care more about their own pockets than the community.

Everyone has a right to fulfill his or her dream in home ownership. But why fool the public into buying a home that will turn into a nightmare, with more sewage, traffic and infrastructure problems that come with over-development? By then, the developers, unions, bankers and small interest groups will have vanished. Is that the dream we want?

Rose Ling
Kakaako

June Watanabe does great work

I’ve been a reader for longer than I care to remember — the Advertiser, the Star-Bulletin and now the Star-Advertiser.

We’ve had some terrific columnists, and still do, but some serve and provide a great service on a continual basis and Kokua Line columnist June Watanabe deserves a big thank-you.

Harriet Gee and Joanne Imig were among those who carried the ball previously, and now it’s up to June to answer our questions and keep us informed and on the right track. Mahalo, Ms. Watanabe, for providing a most wonderful service to the community.

Kedric Dean
Downtown Honolulu

Obamacare needs tweaking

Lloyd Lim said we should wait and see if Obamacare will work ("Give Obamacare time to work," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Nov. 30).

Tweaking, not repealing, may be in order. Change the part of the law that is causing doctors to leave their practice or retire early. Change the part of the law that has caused insurance companies to cancel policies. Change the parts of the law that will cause costs to go up. Change the parts of the law that look like they will limit access to health care; these can always be put back in if necessary.

Obamacare was ill-conceived and not thought through. Giving it five to 10 years to damage health care in the U.S. is just plain stupid.

Otto Cleveland
Pearl City

Writer’s analysis was outrageous

I am outraged. Jacob Sullum deserves no public voice because he clearly endorses means for domestic terrorism ("Sometimes there’s just no easy explanation for crime," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 30).

He suggests that at Sandy Hook, "ammunition was not a limiting factor." Clear alternate reasoning suggests that ammunition was the enabling factor: No ammunition, no murder.

He makes specious statements, such as two seconds per round being "not a particularly fast rate of fire," and that using 16 10-round magazines rather than six 30-round magazines "would (not) have made a significant difference." Both factors enable senseless killing.

These statements unveil an opaque political agenda. Are all links to guns meaningless in these deaths? Minimizing connections between weapons and murder is a heartless piercing arrow for affected families and communities. His is an agenda for I don’t know what. Gun lobby kickbacks? Political brownie points? Hunters’ rights? Sullum should understand that weapons contribute to the daily tragic and ubiquitous carnage in America.

Benjamin W. Berg
Kahala

Warriors need new coaches

Thank goodness sports writer Dave Reardon had the courage and guts to write in precise detail why the University of Hawaii needs to change its football coaching staff, from Coach Norm Chow on down ("If fans want Chow out, organize, show your faces," Star-Advertiser, Further Review, Dec. 2).

Enough is enough. After two seasons worth of pathetic coaching, we desperately need a new coaching staff. Only then will we be able to bring in more fans and funds into the UH football program, the biggest sports show in town, next to the Rainbow Wahine volleyball program.

Roy Uehara
Salt Lake

Help motorists avoid potholes

Road hazards can be extremely dangerous, causing accidents and even death.

One of the most common causes of vehicle damage are huge potholes because they are hard to spot. Heading directly into them can cause serious damage to your vehicle, including steering system misalignment, wheel rim damage, tire puncture and suspension damage.

I propose an alternative method to prevent accidental encounters with potholes: Make them easy to identify via a warning sign, such as outlining the potholes with green or other bright colors. This is a cost-effective temporary solution that could buy the workers time to fix the potholes without endangering the residents. It also would save the city money by reducing the number of potential lawsuits.

Hayden Jeon
Moiliili