Comments on: Public Option: Much-Needed Insurance for Latinos

By: Wade

Wade — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:36:37 +0000

Healthcare is a privilege not a right, however, healthcare should be more affordable and attainable. Will handing out free healthcare motivate people to become self sufficent or more dependent on gov programs? This is a crisis with no easy solution but free healthcare is not the American way.

By: rafael

rafael — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:09:25 +0000

Sorry but I disagree, I feel they are many that chose not to pay for health insure for they know the can use the ER and not pay for the service. I’m for health care reform but feel private insurance is the way to go. mandate that everyone buy insurance and if they truly can’t afforded it subsidized it.

By: Dan Callen

Dan Callen — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:40:58 +0000

Mr. Ruiz, sorry if I come off insensitive but as an alternative consider this. When my German grandparents came to this country they were not provided “culturally sensitive” information about healthcare or anything. They were forced to learn English. Why don’t the latinos do the same. Adapt our culture as our grandfathers did rather than demand that we accept yours.

Dan Callen

By: salvatore

salvatore — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:19:54 +0000

No American should be left without healthcare, regardless of ethnic heritage or income!

Although, I believe there are multiple Americas, we need to stop distinguishing ourselves as something other than American, because it further divides us. I value my Italian heritage, but I would never define myself as Italian. I am simply American. My birth certificate says it, my passport says it and my state health care says it.

It would be great, if the only box we needed to check on health care forms is American.

By: Rudy Ruiz

Rudy Ruiz — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:32:54 +0000

Thank you all for your articulate and thoughtful arguments. This is the kind of respectful, well-thought-out dialogue and debate that I seek to inspire and facilitate via RedBrownandBlue.com. I will be giving much thought to your comments as I continue to research and write about these issues. In responding to your comments today, my goal is not to argue the merits of your positions but rather to clarify a couple of important points for the sake of accuracy. Sometimes it’s tempting to tune out a person’s viewpoint by dismissing that person’s credibility. This is what I wish to avoid by making sure that you and other readers have a clear understanding of my background. In particular, I’d like to explain that by no means am I a member of Mexico’s elite oligarchy nor am I thinking or working in conjunction with any orchestrated effort of any kind. I am, and have always been, an independent thinker. I was born in the United States and am an American citizen. I grew up in my birthplace – Brownsville, Texas – back when it was still a sleepy border town. My mom was an immigrant that didn’t bring much to America except wonderful values and a commitment to nurturing in her children strong ideals, faith and an appreciation for reading and education. My father was the son of two orphaned immigrants. He grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in Brownsville and worked his way through both high school and college. He was the first to attend college from either side of my family. And he is still working hard at 69 as a self-employed, registered pharmacist. Neither of my parents ever felt they could afford health insurance, but they never qualified for government assistance until they turned 65. As for me, I was the first of my family to attend Harvard, my lifelong dream. I worked as a bartender to help pay my way through school while my parents sacrificed to help me. The rest of the costs were paid for via scholarships and students loans that I repaid in full over nearly 10 years. When my wife and I started our business, we did so without any financial contributions or investments by anyone. That’s how it’s always been for me and I feel my experience is very American rather than that of a Latin American elite.

I would ask you to please read a column I wrote where I actually call on Mexico’s elite to work towards fundamental socioeconomic change in Mexico; I think you’ll see that not only am I not allied with an ulterior agenda, but rather advocate for change on both sides of the border. That column can be found at this link:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/08/13/ruiz.drug.war/index.html

In closing, while I love my heritage and draw much inspiration from it, growing up on the border gave me a very strong sense of the deep flaws in the Mexican system. As a result, I embraced the ideals and promise of the American Dream. I do tend to be generous in my desire to “do good,” but I attribute this to two core values instilled in me since my childhood: my Catholic/Christian upbringing which taught me that it’s intrinsically good to help others, especially the less fortunate, and my belief in the American ideals of freedom, equality, compassion and democracy. Sometimes these values may lead me to put forth a very heartwarming vision for our society. This is because I truly believe we can live up to America’s best ideals if we never give up trying. Alexis de Toqueville once said that “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” I’m devoted to the continuous improvement of America by adhering to the principles upon which the nation was founded. And I’m willing to help pay for it with my hard earned money. I don’t expect everyone to feel the same way, but I will do my best to encourage them to consider the possibilities. Thanks again. Let’s keep the conversation going. And thanks for visiting RedBrownandBlue.

By: Roarke

Roarke — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:16:18 +0000

Good Heavens. Why is it the reflexive position of wealthy, Harvard-educated “liberals” that all of society’s ills must be cured with bigger, more intrusive government? You speak very eloquently, in English, of your experience, accomplishments, and private health insurance yet disconnect when imagining that anyone else in the Latino community might wish to follow your path to security and independence. Why must all of your fellow Latinos (and all other Americans) do as you SAY, not as you do? Must minority communities be forever coddled and patronized by the government establishment and intelligencia? Must we ALL pay for your heart-warming vision of “social justice”?

Mr. Ruiz, you are obviously an intelligent and sympathetic man. You care a great deal about the Latino community and wish to ease their sufferings with regards to lack of health insurance coverage. But can you not think of even ONE alternative, to the expansion of government, as a balm? Cross-state insurance competition and availability? REAL cafe-styled choice coverage? Eliminating the AMA monopoly on doctors? ANYTHING besides just throwing all your trust yet again in the government?

PS: I am a Latino raised on West 34th street in San Antonio… and I do NOT have health insurance.

By: Luis Sarria

Luis Sarria — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:37:25 +0000

What Mr Ruiz and other agents of the Mexican oligarchy want si to allow an influx of labor
mostly uneducated mostly pariah for the elites to the US.
These advocates of illegal immigrants do not have a fundamental understanding of the law and what it represent.
Their logic is so distorted that using the same we should release to all the bank robbers since I am sure they stole the money because they wanted to feed to their kids.
Not only their logic is distorted but the moral compass they use is not working either.
Why don’t they show that compassion with the central American workers entering illegally to Mexico?
Mexico enforce very well their southern border, they just open the doors to the northern one.
If Mr Ruiz wants to give medical attention for free to the illegal workers, fine, provide the assistance and pass the bill to the corrupt government of Felipe Calderon in Mexico.
This is an orchestrated offort from the Mexican government and the elites, in this cartel are the Ruiz, Univision, the sweat shop
owner, the Democrats looking for ignorant voters, the Republicans looking for cheap labor.

By: Lois

Lois — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:11:32 +0000

Mr. Ruiz, well written article, however, I think you are missing the point. You are not distinguishing between legal and illegal Hispanics. Americans do not want to spend tax dollars providing special sevices for people who are not US citizens. You can argue this point right or wrong, but it’s a fact. And, the more the economy takes a down turn, more Americans will feel this way. Also, I worked with a health disparities program for CDC, and Elena Rios is misinformed, Blacks have the worst record with health disparities. As a matter of fact, in some areas, like diabetes, Hispanics rank close to whites. You need to start taking responsibility for your actions. Lack of health insurance for Hispanics is due largely to the illegal population…sorry

By: Teno

Teno — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:17:50 +0000

Great point Mr. Ruiz. I agree that reforming the current system alone is not the best way to increase the accessibility and affordability of health care for all communities. A strong public option will increase competition, lower costs, and enable more Americans to secure the coverage they need.