Don't listen to misinformation
Nazi propaganda convinced many German people to blame Jews for their miseries. The right-wing propaganda hate machine has convinced misinformed Americans to blame poor and needy people for actual or manufactured USA problems.
The tea party, Koch brothers, and Wal-Mart's Walton siblings have a combined wealth of over $150 billion. Wal-Mart adheres to very low pay with no unions for its employees. The Koches' oil industries are subsidized by our tax dollars.
When someone says anything derogatory concerning a little caring for our needy, inform them about this egregious welfare for the rich. Please call your politicians to correct this absurd, upside down welfare. Sensible people ask for fairness. GOP politicians would hand over the rest of our wealth to their donors and turn us into a Wal-Mart nation.
Neo-cons have nothing except obstructionism, distortion, divisiveness, personal attacks and misinformation. When anything bad happens anywhere (even if only perceived as bad), their think tanks: AEI, Fox News, etc. begin the "let's blame the Democrats game." Then they begin their endless fake scandals.
Even when those are proven to be falsified, misinformed Americans continue to repeat them as though they were real.
WALTER M. BENTON, Signal Mountain
BlueCross policy to aid consumers
Would you pay more for a service if you knew you could spend less for the same one somewhere else?
I am responding to Dr. Danielle Mitchell's letter in the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Dec. 23 about lower payments from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee for physician-based laboratory services.
Our members are concerned about affordability, and we're working on their behalf to address medical cost growth, which directly impacts premiums. In this case, we have reduced rates for physician-owned labs to match what we pay independent labs.
Many physician groups within our BlueCross networks already send lab work to high- quality independent labs for testing, and we see no justification to pay higher rates based simply on whether a test is performed at a physician office.
If some physicians want to provide lab services in their offices, we believe they should offer competitive rates. This is the same dynamic other businesses face.
We have been reimbursing physicians for these services at above-market rates. Given the cost pressures in health care, we simply cannot continue to pay more for these services, as doing so drives up coverage costs for our members.
ROY VAUGHN, Vice president of corporate communications, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
Congress drops ball on issues
All of the unfinished business for the 113th Congress is wrapped up neatly in a pretty red bow. But what happened to gun control legislation and immigration reform? Merry Christmas and much ado about nothing.
JOANN LEE FRANK, Clearwater, Fla.