Ban hurts consumers
Regarding “State defies Trump on insurance” (Business, Aug 21): While some Californians who lose their job would still be able to buy health insurance through the state insurance exchange, or directly from health insurers, that’s unlikely to be much comfort to the nearly 1 million Californians who don’t qualify for federal subsidies.
These are the people who find themselves pushed out of the individual health insurance market because they can’t afford the average cost of family coverage of $1,139, or COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) coverage at nearly $1,600 per month.
The state’s proposed ban on the sale of shortterm health plans also overlooks the plight of people who miss open enrollment and don’t experience a qualifying life event that allows them to sign up throughout the year. It’s definitely better to buy Affordable Care Act coverage if you can afford and/or qualify for it. But what if you can’t?
California lawmakers claim to want a ban on short-term policies to protect consumers from buying what they’ve inaccurately called “junk” insurance.
Unfortunately, such a ban will only hurt many of the consumers they claim to be protecting, and will add to the number of the uninsured in our state.
Scott Flanders, CEO of eHealth, Inc., Mountain View
Court-martial Trump instead
So, if members of the House of Representatives are reluctant to bring articles of impeachment against President Trump for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” maybe we should look to the military instead. Surely, they should be able to instigate a court-martial against their “commander in chief ” for “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman,” shouldn’t they?
Betty Catania, Fairfield
Let kids police themselves
Regarding “In the parenting trenches” (Letters, Aug. 24), the author asks for help in parenting. We would not let our kids see us watch “evil” TV, so we spent over eight years reading books — setting a good example. We covered the house with wonderful books (weekly trips to the library) and hoped they’d pick one up. We went into debt to send each kid to a yearabroad experience.
Dress code? Why not try asking the kids to “police” themselves? My public school did and it worked. We wore uniforms and student leaders did the enforcing. Don’t give up; try anything. Eileen Mericle, Santa Clara
Picture’s perfect for column
Regarding “Looking serious while black: an offense?” (Bay Area, Aug. 23) and Otis R. Taylor Jr.’s photo: I’ve always thought his enigmatic picture was perfect for the column he writes. I’m white and have taught about racism in our society for the past 28 years.
My father liberated concentration camps during World War II and raised me to believe in “never again,” but as applied to everyone in society. I shared his column about barbecuing while black called, “Even here, at risk for existing while black” (Bay Area, May 17), with my students and some attended the barbecue along with me that day. It was amazing. Thank you, Mr. Taylor, for your informative and hard work to make our society a better place.
William Olzman, Sebastopol
Market timing no coincidence
Concerning “Record run for this bull market” (Page One, Aug. 23): Expect President Trump — who has been in office for only 20 months — to take full credit for the record bull run on the stock market.
However, it’s no coincidence, as Chronicle columnist Kathleen Pender notes, that the start of this bull market was on March 9, 2009 — only months after the inauguration of former President Barack Obama. Also expect Trump to spin this fact into some kind of conspiracy or “fake news” item. Takeshi Hashimoto, Redwood City
Take away nuclear button
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s plan to let Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation proceed to its conclusion makes sense. But must we risk allowing President Trump’s gangster administration to continue hurting more people in the meantime? Shouldn’t we take away Trump’s nuclear button as soon as possible? Jim Heldberg, Pacifica
Pay for private solar market
I have a light bulb for you. Instead of charging Pacific Gas and Electric Co. a huge fine for its role in state wildfires, make them pay market price for the electricity generated by the private solar market.
This would stimulate the solar market and then focus on the development of local hubs to store the electricity for nighttime and low production. I would think this could lead to fewer transmission lines as the systems become localized. Kenyon Hensel, Crescent City