Views from readers: smoking at casinos + health insurance loopholes
Window dressing?
On Sept. 24, President Trump signed an executive order proclaiming that it is the policy of the United States to “provide protections to insure that Americans with pre-existing conditions are protected regardless of whether the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional and its protections for pre-existing conditions are invalidated.”
In Mississippi, 34% of citizens under age 65 have pre-existing health conditions. The percentage of persons with pre-existing health conditions under age 65 living in other states is slightly more or less, but 34% is a good average for the country.
If President Trump’s legal position challenging the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) is maintained when the U.S. Supreme Court hears the case this fall, persons with pre-existing health conditions will lose all insurance coverage for any medical expenses related to that condition.
Make no mistake, there is no safety net: Employer-provided health insurance, as well as all other individual paid health insurance, will exclude insurance coverage for medical expenses related to pre-existing conditions.
President Trump, if sincere, would either drop his challenge to the Affordable Care Act, or tell the people of this country that his case before the U.S. Supreme Court will end health insurance coverage for pre-existing health conditions for millions of Americans.
The “executive order” does not prohibit health insurers from excluding medical expenses for pre-existing health conditions, which the Affordable Care Act does outlaw. This is merely political window dressing, just before the national election.
Charles A. Boggs
Long Beach
Trump’s attitude
President Trump is proud that he’s never apologized for any of his many mistakes.
He calls apologizing “a sign of weakness.” I discovered where he likely picked up that line and attitude: A John Wayne cowboy movie, “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.” Wayne, playing a tough trail boss on a cattle drive, says “Never apologize mister, it’s a sign of weakness.” Maybe Trump pictures himself as trail boss leading his own herd of cattle, his voter base.
Another movie Trump is likely familiar with: “A Guide for the Married Man.”
Walter Matthau’s experienced married buddy advises him to “deny, deny, deny” when he’s caught cheating with another woman. Trump uses the denial excuse even when he’s made an obvious mistake.
Bob Woodward’s taped interviews show that Trump, early on this year, knew that the COVID-19 virus was highly contagious, airborne, and “deadly.” But rather than level with the American people, Trump, with a straight face, lied and downplayed the danger for months while the number of infections and deaths continued ballooning. Woodward calls Trump’s presidency “a monumental, catastrophic leadership failure.”
At a recent televised Trump rally, an unmasked elderly man (among the most vulnerable) avowed that the coronavirus was just a big hoax. Seeking fact-based information is the duty of a responsible citizen.
If you don’t realize the need to take precautions such as wearing a mask to help stop the spread, you are either uninformed or getting your information from disinformation sources.
Richard Harkness
Ocean Springs
Masks and casinos
I recently visited a local Mississippi casino. A mask was mandatory. I was playing at a newly installed electronic craps table which requires only one dealer. It is slightly larger than the normal table. There are nine positions with a betting screen for each player. They are well spaced for social-distancing. I was the only player at this new table. A normal craps table requires four dealers and players are not as well spaced.
I lowered my mask to take a swallow of my drink but did not immediately raise it enough to cover my mouth afterward. A security guard approached me and cited me for not wearing my mask properly. Sitting several feet away were two people playing slot machines. Their masks were pulled down around their necks as they smoked. This continued for the several minutes it took to smoke a cigarette. I asked the security guard: “Why don’t you cite them for lower their masks?” He stated that the rules are: “Customers are allowed to keep their masks lowered for eating and smoking.”
Smokers have an addictive nature. This addiction transfers to their gambling habit as well. This makes them the premium customers of casinos. However, these privileged customers come at the expense of exposing others, not only to COVD-19 but to second-hand smoke as well. Casino dealers and the 80% of customers who do not smoke deserve protection.
The governor has made masks mandatory and limited the number of customers in bars, restaurants and businesses. It is time to ban smoking indoors for all businesses, including casinos.
Jerry P. Moreau
Diamondhead