Letters to the editor for Thursday, June 5, 2014

Pay attention to pedestrians, bicyclists

Now that the weather has warmed, there are more pedestrians and bicyclist out on and alongside the roadways. Drivers should be paying special attention to the crosswalks as you approach. Failure to do so may lead to a pedestrian or bicycle involved crash which could turn tragic.

As you are following other vehicles, be sure that you are not following so close that you cannot stop in time should the driver ahead need to brake suddenly for individuals in crosswalks or for other unknown circumstances. No one wants to be involved in a crash, especially when you have a loved one with you.

School is out and children are at play, so pay special attention when driving in neighborhoods and near playgrounds. Traffic can get congested during the summer as locals and visitors alike share the road. Be safe, keep your cool, and drive defensively.

Sgt. Scott McDaniel

Carson City Sheriff’s Office

Hospital bills need more investigation

Kudos to Mr. Bauman for tackling a hospital bill, but he still needs to investigate the real story — payment! What they charge is not what they expect or will be paid. (There is also a big part missing and that is the physician charges.)

There are several questions to answer: how much did the providers actually get paid? How much did each service actually cost? Why are the charges so high? Other areas to query are how much the hospital and doctors would have been paid had his friend been covered by Medicaid, BCBS or any other insurance plan. And when did the hospital and doctors actually receive their payments?

The payers are notorious for slow and inconsistent payments, frequently questioning every detail. Billing and payment for healthcare providers is totally arcane. The most disgusting part of all of this is that if his friend had not had Medicare or insurance, she would have been expected to pay the whole bill, even though the hospital would have accepted much less from the payers. He needs to interview a hospital administrator or CFO.

It’s amazing that we have such wonderful healthcare providers. It is not a business you would go in if you were looking for financial stability. (Please note: COPD is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.)

Elizabeth (Liz) Thomson

Carson City