CUTS ARE CRUEL, WILL COST STATE IN LONG RUN

I received a letter from Med-Quest, the agency which provides health insurance to developmentally disabled people in Hawai'i. They will no longer pay for preventative dental care such as regular cleanings.

They will cover dental emergencies to relieve pain, eliminate infection and treat acute injuries. Med-Quest's reasoning is "The state must decrease spending." I wonder why then, when I go to the office of my son's case worker, I have to wear a jacket because the office is so cold.

Many disabled people, such as my son, are unable to communicate pain to their caregivers. Many have such a high tolerance to pain, their caregivers might have no idea an acute emergency is happening.

Preventative services mitigate emergencies, infection and pain. This has been scientifically proven so often as to become common knowledge, except, apparently, at Med-Quest.

The Department of Human Services exists to provide services to those who qualify for them, not to fill chairs in cold offices with employees who are protected from the state's need to decrease spending at the expense of disabled people who are unable to advocate for themselves. This type of cost cutting is cruel, thoughtless and immoral. Emergency-only care will cost the state much more than prevention.

Med-Quest can be reached at 587-3530.

Joe D'Alessandro | Wailuku, Maui

CIVIL UNIONS

DON'T COMPARE GAY RIGHTS TO CIVIL RIGHTS

In response to Mr. Kent West's letter on Aug. 18, Mr. West seems to be competing and comparing gay relationships to traditional marriages and families. I've got news for Mr. West: there is no comparison! If gays want a relationship, by all means, do so. I am not against gay relationships. However, marriage and families are made by and between a man and a woman, simple as that.

If it weren't for traditional unions, he would not have been born to complain about the rights for civil unions.

Mr. West said gay couples provide loving families. Is he talking about the families traditional unions provided to them? Because without us, it would be no them!

Mr. West compares interracial couples who can marry to gay couples who can't. Mr. West doesn't seem to realize that a interracial couple is still a man and a woman, who can produce children, which keeps the world going round.

I know the gay community has a bad habit of this, but please, Mr. West, don't compare the civil rights issue to gay rights; civil rights was about human rights, a gay man or woman already had human rights. Don't let your anger get in the way of your common sense.

David B. Lee | Hilo

HEALTH CARE

FAILURE TO HOLD TOWN HALLS SHOCKING

Regarding your front-page story on the failure of our congressional delegation to hold town hall meetings (Aug. 18), I was very shocked. Adding to this is the fact that while you fact-checked with other states, Hawai'i was the only one where there were no planned meetings. This health care issue (regardless on where you might stand on the issue) is very important, and as I see it as the duty of our delegation to get public input on the issue they will have to vote on. I sure hope they will "get with it" and change their plans.

Kevin Maley | Kapolei

MAIL-ORDER MEDS

NEW PLAN BEGS MANY ANSWERS

From what I read and heard on TV about the new drug plan for Hawai'i Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund members, there seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction and confusion about the plan from the membership. Was the membership ever consulted with or advised about the plan and its effects on the members? Were there hearings or input open to the membership? Did the membership ever get to vote on acceptance of the plan? Was cost the only consideration? Where is the cost savings if you have to pay for shipping? What do you do if you don't get your medication on time? What will happen to people if they have to change their medication and not use the one prescribed by their doctor? Were doctors consulted about the implementation of the plan? Were there other plans that we don't know about? And lastly, if this plan is so great, are there any members of the board signed up to use the plan?

Gary Nakanishi | Honolulu

RAIL TRANSIT

HOPE IS FOR A HIGHER QUALITY OF MOBILITY

A concern that permeates discussions about rail is that it will damage O'ahu's environment. The worry includes the assumption that rail will transform Honolulu to resemble Mainland cities.

It is important to differentiate between rail systems. They are as diverse as the people of the cities they move. Innovations and best practices are never the same thing twice. In the context of the rapidly globalizing world, needs and resources to address those needs are constantly changing. Policies are adjusted, adapted, and mitigated to the new environment and its individual circumstances. When Honolulu implements the High Capacity Transit Corridor Project, the project will be uniquely Hawai'i's.

O'ahu's car-to-person ratio is around 1-to-1. The rail will cause development but the alternative of the current car-(and fossil fuel-)dependent lifestyle is not sustainable and environmentally friendly either. The city is investing time and funds into the rail to create a higher quality of mobility and greater accessibility for a larger portion of the population. The hope is to attract those reliant on private automobiles to step out of their comfort zone and into public transportation.

Kara Takasaki | 'Aiea