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Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors
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Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Ilya Shlyakhter (notestaff) - letters to editors" journal:
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03:53 am
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selling organs for transplants
Flesh Trade: Why not let people sell their organs?
We already pay healthy people to risk their health in safety trials of new drugs (Freakonomics, Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, July 9). The risks in these trials can be harder to control than the risks in well-studied transplant procedures. We also pay people to risk their health in other contexts — for example, in the military. Most soldiers aren’t millionaires, and financial incentives do play a part. Like soldiers, organ donors may serve for a mix of altruistic and pragmatic reasons. Why let the soldiers be paid but not the donors? And as for the argument that letting the rich buy the poor’s organs is repugnant: what is repugnant is letting people become so poor that they must sell their organs to get by.
Tags: health_policy, nytimes_magazine, organ_transplants, poverty
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06:58 am
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medical malpractice
The Future of Medical Malpractice
The Democrats' opposition to malpractice reform runs counter to core Democratic values. To those struggling to make ends meet, even a small decrease in cost of health care can mean the difference between getting treatment or not.
It is unconscionable to price the poor out of health care to give others a theoretical chance of collecting for pain and suffering. To those priced out of health care, the right to malpractice awards is useless!
If malpractice reform fails, at least let people opt out of the right to sue in exchange for cheaper health insurance. If most people decide to opt out, the whole malpractice debate will become moot.
Tags: health_policy, malpractice_reform, nytimes, policy_ideas, poverty
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09:41 am
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allowing drug reimportation
Imports vs. no drugs
The opposing view on drug re-importation by William Hubbard, associate commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, mentions a patient who was harmed by imported drugs ("Risks are too high", High prescription costs debate, Aug. 23). But how many patients are harmed when they can't afford drugs because of the ban on drug imports?
People of limited means may just skip their medicine if it's too expensive. For many, the choice isn't between imported and domestic drugs, but between imported drugs and no drugs at all.
Tags: health_policy, hidden_costs, poverty, usa_today
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07:09 am
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buying imported drugs
Why Shouldn't We Buy Imported Drugs?
If it's wrong for retailers to profit from hurricane-caused scarcity of necessities (''With Storm Gone, Floridians Are Hit With Price Gouging,'' front page, Aug. 18), it's wrong for drug makers to profit from government-caused scarcity of drugs.
Yet the Food and Drug Administration supports drug company attempts to restrict imports, citing safety concerns.
If people forgo medicine because of high prices, isn't that unsafe?
Tags: health_policy, nytimes, poverty
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07:14 am
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considerations when renting an apartment
Rental ethics
I'm looking for an apartment. If I take an apartment priced below what I can afford, I take it away from someone who can't afford a more expensive one. If I take a more expensive one, I contribute to the upward pressure on prices for all apartments. Do these choices cancel out, or is there a preference?
Tags: nytimes_magazine, poverty
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08:02 am
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universal health insurance
Before We Lecture Cuba
Re ''Cuba's Other Face'' (letter, May 23):
The letter writer notes Cuba's low infant mortality and illiteracy rates. I'd like to add that all Cubans get free health care. By contrast, in the United States some 40 million people lack health insurance.
Before lecturing Cubans on how to run their country, shouldn't we close this shameful gap in our own backyard?
Tags: health_policy, hypocrisy, nytimes, poverty, replies
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08:59 am
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reducing prison costs
Spend on Defenders
One way to reduce prison costs is to spend more money on indigent defense (Opinion, Jan. 5). Defendants represented by overworked and underpaid public defenders are likely to get longer prison terms, costing taxpayers more than was saved on defense. Closer scrutiny by better-paid public defenders would ensure that long sentences go to truly dangerous criminals, not just those poorly represented. This is a rare chance to increase fairness and public safety while cutting costs.
Tags: fairness, hidden_costs, latimes, policy_ideas, poverty
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08:09 am
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social security obligations
Social Security's Deal
A Dec. 30 letter calls Social Security a ''welfare program,'' implying that benefits are a free gift and not an obligation. I thought it's paid to people who contributed to the fund from their earnings. They lived up to their part of the deal. Shouldn't we live up to ours?
Tags: fairness, nytimes, poverty
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to_the_editor's journal