Medicare changes leave seniors behind

It’s that time of year again. Ads on TV concentrate on pharmaceuticals, accident lawyers and Medicare Part C Advantage Plans. But guess what? Seniors on Medicare no longer have any Part C Advantage Plans available for Garfield and surrounding counties. United and Rocky Mountain Health have dropped our area.

Now we’re forced to go to a Medigap plan, which covers less and costs much more. I was told this change now affects many thousands of senior Coloradans on the Western Slope, most on fixed incomes.

I’ve seen nothing in the news or local media — especially here in Happy Valley, where no one gets sick, old or suffers a disability. We just hike, ski and play until we suddenly drop dead at 100.

My monthly premium will go from $36 for the Part C plan to a minimum of $138 for the cheapest Medigap plan, with less coverage. And that doesn’t include the Part D drug coverage. I can get close to my old coverage for more than $300 a month, though. And that’s just me. My wife, who has Alzheimer’s (another taboo condition in Happy Valley), will need a new policy as well.

One alternative is to move somewhere Part C plans are still available, like Grand Junction. Another is to spend all our savings, go bankrupt and apply for Medicaid. But that’s being cut, too.

I’ve written our representative in Congress, Jeff Hurd, but needless to say, I’ve never heard back. I guess he and large insurance companies have wealthier clients to represent and serve. Seniors in Colorado’s Happy Valleys — many who have lived here all or most of their lives — apparently don’t provide enough in obscene profits.

Affordable Care Act subsidies aren’t the only health care crisis we face. We deserve better.

Ken Neubecker, Glenwood Springs

Hold this administration accountable

“I think law and order is something that’s important to all of us as Americans,” said our representative, Jeff Hurd, speaking about ICE rounding up undocumented people.

However, he seems willing to let unidentified people in masks do the work — arresting people without judicial warrants, sometimes even citizens — which is illegal. He also seems to allow the Trump administration to break the law in other ways.

Why is he not speaking out about:

• The 35% of court orders Trump ignores, including $6 billion courts ordered him to release for SNAP assistance in November.
• The detention of people without bond or charges.
• Deploying National Guard troops to Democratic cities for virtually no reason — cities that have lower crime rates than previously and seem targeted only to cause unrest.
• Using the Department of Justice as his personal revenge machine.

Yes, Rep. Hurd, law and order are important — and we hope you start holding this administration responsible.

Peter Westcott, Carbondale

Thank you, Glenwood Springs police

A big, heartfelt thank-you to the Glenwood Springs Police Department for their thoughtful and visible presence on Halloween night. Officers slowly patrolled our neighborhoods, ensuring that children and families could enjoy a safe and fun evening.

Their added gesture of handing out candy was not only awesome but also a wonderful way to build trust between our community’s youth and law enforcement.

A special thank-you to Deputy Chief of Police John Hassell and Chief of Public Safety Joseph Deras for their continued commitment to community engagement and for finding creative ways to connect with residents.

It’s small actions like these that keep Glenwood feeling like the small town we all love.

Ingrid Wussow, Glenwood Springs