Letters on community hospitals' roles, whether more gun laws are needed, service animals
Hospitals play a critical role in communities; protect access
A recent article, “Public Eye: Sticker shock at the doctor's office — Why do hospitals charge 'facility fees?’” paints an incomplete picture of hospital billing practices and facility fees. At the Oklahoma Hospital Association, we see every day the compassionate and unique care our state’s hospitals provide and the challenges they face.
Since the onset of the pandemic, rural hospitals across the U.S. have faced intense financial and supply pressures. Hospitals’ revenue has shrunk while expenses continue to rise, leaving most hospitals — especially in rural areas — on incredibly thin margins. Rural hospital closures have already left thousands of patients without access to the care they need.
While other care options sometimes exist, they cannot provide the same level or quality of care as hospitals. So called site-neutral legislation being proposed in Congress simply ignores the fact that emergency and specialty services like burn, neonatal and psychiatric care are only available at hospital facilities. In our rural communities, having an available ER 24/7 to respond to auto and industrial accidents, as well as natural disasters, is put at risk under site-neutral proposals. In addition, hospitals adhere to safety and regulatory codes that other sites of care do not and care for sicker and more complex patients.
Hospitals play a critical role in their communities — and it’s vital we urge lawmakers to protect access to care and reject site-neutral policies that ignore key differences between hospitals and other sites of care.
Running a hospital is incredibly expensive, and despite our best efforts to reduce costs, we still must find ways to stay open. This is a complex issue, and while site-neutral payment proposals may seem appealing, they will only exacerbate the diminished access to care impacting underserved communities like many of those in rural Oklahoma.
― Rich Rasmussen, Norman, Oklahoma Hospital Association president
More gun laws? Strictly enforce the current laws on the books
It's a fact that many people are yelling for more "gun laws" to control the major upswing in crime all across America. New gun laws are not necessary to control crime. The only thing necessary is strict enforcement of the laws on the books now.
— Joseph M. Lusk, Oklahoma City
Why should 'service animals' dictate private business rules?
In reference to the story "WE HAVE RIGHTS Law allows service animals, but some businesses don’t understand," which was published on Page 4A on Sunday, Sept. 24.
We know most of these are emotional, or comfort animals.
And anyone can get a “service dog” collar/vest on Amazon for $15.
And you want to dictate that a private business has to accept animals? What happened to “no shirt, no shoes, no service,” and “No firearms allowed”?
— Greg Clift, Anadarko
How is moral turpitude measured, and when does it count?
Moral turpitude is a behavior getting recent attention as being unacceptable in our education systems. The hits from Googling the term show fairly consistent types of immoral behavior. Interestingly, hypocrisy does not appear, and yet there is no better example of moral turpitude than the behavior of one Donald J. Trump, the unquestioned favorite in Oklahoma for national leadership. Go figure.
— John Mueller, Edmond
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Letters on community hospitals, gun laws, service animals
