Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Kudos Kudos to the Virginia Opera for its tremendous generosity in providing “comped” tickets to those federal workers caught up in the damaging shutdown of the government. This generosity included tickets to the production of Rossini’s “Cinderella” in Norfolk this past weekend. They say it takes a village. The Virginia Opera has rallied to help individuals and their families in all of the Virginia venues where they perform. I attended Nov. 9’s magical performance of “Cinderella.” It was heartening to see the faces and excitement of the children who were present — many of whom undoubtedly come from families dealing with all the difficulties associated with losing pay for more than 40 days. It doesn’t end in Norfolk. Tickets have been offered to federal employees to attend the productions of “Cinderella” next week in Richmond. And George Mason University is joining with the Virginia Opera and is offering complementary tickets to furloughed individuals to attend the Northern Virginia performances of “Cinderella” at the university’s Center for the Arts later this month. In the tough times and difficulties we all must deal with, it takes so little to be kind and lift people. Thanks to the Virginia Opera, the spirits of many individuals and families in Norfolk were lifted by the kindness and generosity offered to them this weekend. Chris Kelley Cimko, Duck, N.C. ACA subsidies As Americans brace for another round of Affordable Care Act premium hikes, millions are about to face a painful reality: without congressional action to renew the enhanced ACA subsidies, health insurance could become unaffordable for the very people the law was designed to help. These subsidies have been a quiet success story. They lowered premiums for working- and middle-class Americans — people who don’t qualify for Medicaid but still struggle to pay for coverage. A family earning $60,000 could find a quality plan for hundreds of dollars a month instead of over a thousand. Now, those gains are on the chopping block. Out-of-pocket costs will double or even triple for millions. Beyond the human cost, there’s a fiscal one. When people can’t afford coverage, they delay care until it becomes an emergency — treatment that hospitals and taxpayers end up paying for anyway. In that sense, the subsidies are not a handout; they’re a safeguard against economic waste and human suffering. The ACA’s enhanced subsidies also stabilize the insurance market by keeping healthier Americans enrolled, preventing the kind of “death spiral” that once drove insurers out of rural areas. They’ve expanded coverage in both red and blue states alike, proving that affordable health care isn’t a partisan issue — it’s an American one. Ending these subsidies would turn back the clock on progress and push millions back into uncertainty. Lawmakers can debate many aspects of health reform, but this one should be easy: health care shouldn’t be a luxury. The subsidies must stay. Sherri Wills-Albon, Hampton Cooperation Re “Boat sinks 260 miles off NC’s Cape Hatteras” (A3, Nov. 8): As a retired naval officer having served aboard nine United States Navy ships and submarines and also aboard four American civilian merchant ships, I heartily give the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard a Bravo Zulu (well done). Their coordinated efforts rescued five men from a life raft launched Nov. 7 from a sinking sailboat 260 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The Coast Guard helicopter was refueled by a Navy carrier en route and returning because the helicopter could not carry sufficient fuel to complete the round trip. I think that is the type of cooperation that should exist throughout the United States government, including between Democrats and Republicans. William Clegg, Virginia Beach
