A new 'scarlet letter'
Nathaniel Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter in 1850, revealing a society where people were wrongfully punished. Hester Prynne was sentenced to wear a scarlet "A" around her neck to signify her crime of adultery.
I too have been sentenced with a scarlet "A." My "A" stands for Aging.
I am guilty of living a long and productive life, raising a family, working and paying taxes, and remaining self-sufficient and active in my community. I am guilty of doing that for 80 years.
I am guilty of paying a huge health insurance premium every month--for Medicare, and for supplemental insurance to take care of what Medicare does not cover. But now that I have reached the age where I particularly need to keep watch on my health, I cannot find health care.
Doctors in Little Rock are not taking new Medicare patients!
I am a new resident and homeowner in Little Rock, and I have called and written letters to every family health clinic in this city, asking for an appointment for primary care. Result: either no response at all, or those deadly words, "Sorry, we don't take new Medicare patients."
"Don't take it personally," I am told, "it's just about money." I guess that makes me feel worse--that clinics limit how many old people a doctor is allowed to treat. We simply aren't worth as many dollars.
Nathaniel, please come back and write another book. Those of us wearing the scarlet "A" of Aging are being wrongfully punished.
LINDA BURTON
Little Rock
Positives, negatives
Three weeks ago, we converted to a digital subscription. I had reservations; I have held a newspaper in my hands with my morning coffee for 50-plus years. This has been a wonderful experience. The young lady who trained us in the use of our iPad (Sabra) was very patient and thorough, the whole session took less than 20 minutes, and my wife and I are digitally challenged. There are so many advantages; being able to read a full article without turning to another page, ability to enlarge the print, all color photos, and so many other perks. A week ago, we were out of town, and I didn't miss a day of my Democrat-Gazette. If you are hesitant to convert, don't be, you will enjoy it.
I read the Voices letters every day, and so many of them are negative! I am conservative, but that doesn't mean I can't listen to a liberal opinion. Everyone has good ideas and are deserving to have them heard. We live in the greatest country in the world, and we need to concentrate on keeping it that way and improving it where we can.
Our legislative branch of the federal government doesn't work. Practically all of our senators and congresspersons are interested in their re-election instead of legislation to better our country. There is hate spewing out of both parties' mouths in an attempt to make the other party look bad. Grow up; be adults for a change.
Thank you, ADG, for one of the best newspapers in the country.
DEAN HALEY
Benton
Editorial on 08/26/2019