Readers discuss 28th amendment, human rights and insurance

Readers discuss 28th amendment, human rights and insurance

President Biden should publish the 28th amendment on equal rights

There is something important each of us — women and men — can do right now to advance equal rights for women: contact President Biden and ask him to instruct the national archivist to publish the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th amendment to the constitution.

This amendment was first proposed in 1923, was finally passed by a 2/3 vote of Congress in 1972, and achieved ratification of 3/4 of the states in 2020. It has thus met the requirements outlined in Article V of the U.S. Constitution.

The wording is simple: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” This should not be controversial and the U.S. should no longer remain the only developed country in the world to lack this basic protection in its Constitution for half its citizens.

Contact the White House to ask President Biden to publish the ERA before he leaves office on Jan. 20. Call 202-456-1111, text 302-404-0880, or send a letter or post card to President Joe Biden, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20500

Linda Bjella,

Appleton,

President, League of Women Voters of Appleton-Fox Cities

Insurance companies are not always trying to deny coverage

The true martyr in the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO is someone who lost his life while trying to manage a messy healthcare system: Brian Thompson himself. A self-made individual with a small town success story that many of us can relate to in our own way. It was not the alleged shooter, portraying himself as a ‘hero’ to those who have been denied essential medical care.

As a physician, I deal with these situations on any work day. The misconception is that insurance companies always try to deny coverage for an essential procedure or necessary hospital stay and we can fix this by making them behave somehow.

In reality hospitals, doctors and case managers often fail to provide adequate documentation or evidence required for such coverage. I have fortunately had a high success rate in obtaining the “insurance authorization” for my patients by requesting a “peer to peer review” with insurance companies like United Health and providing the relevant information needed.

Being an Ahmadi Muslim, I truly think justice would be served if we understand this Quranic teaching “whosoever killed a person — unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder in the land — it shall be as if he had killed all mankind; and whoso gave life to one, it shall be as if he had given life to all mankind.”

I hope and pray that we as a society act on this principle to save mankind from ruin.

Hashim Mumtaz,

Appleton

All human beings entitled to basic rights

Christmas and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Every newborn child is a creation of faith, hope and love. Yet his/her survival is wholly dependent upon the rest of us; for at least the first two decades of their lives. Children are to be cared for, protected from exploitation, and provided basic schooling. Adults have the legal and moral right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; as defined by the individual(s) in any society, nation or culture on earth.

The Declaration condemns slavery of any social, economic, and political kind anywhere. Other rejects are false imprisonment, cruelty and torture of any kind.

The equality of all human beings within a common good is fundamental to the concept of worldwide humanity. Freedoms of mobility, occupation and personhood are integral in the Declaration’s listing of 30 specific rights. Economic freedoms are to: personally own land and and other property; labor as individuals and/or collectives (unions); earn, secure and invest personal and corporate capital, and create, develop and expand private enterprises. Economic exploitation via corporate monopolies are not acceptable, however.

The Declaration also requires that governments exist to provide and protect the common good; for the benefit of every human being during their lives.

Standards like these are means of measuring our status as truly humane, responsible beings. Contemporary standards are noticeably below even average. Over 100 armed conflicts exist on earth today. And too many corporations deny their social responsibilities. We can and must do better every new year.

Richard E. Schallert,

Winneconne

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