To the Editor:

My organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the AARP, the American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association and many others are deeply concerned that the fate of health care in America is being discussed and worked out totally in secret, with no hearings before the public, no expert testimony, no input from the major health care providers, from new born nursery staffs to emergency room doctors to nursing home personnel. 

The planned $800 billion cut to Medicaid, the pilfering of the Medicare trust fund, the threat to over 5,000 children in Haywood County on Medicaid, to the thousands of seniors who today or tomorrow may need Medicaid to cover nursing home fees, and the 6,000 people here who are covered by the Affordable Care Act all deserve real open discussion. 

Secret negotiations are un-American! We must ask Senators Tillis and Burr to open this process and reject the harsh bill that was sent to the Senate by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, and other House members who seem to care more about massive tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans than they do for “the least of you.” We should not return to the good ld days when medical illness was the number one cause of personal bankruptcy in America. 

Why does President Trump not ask the Senate to have open hearings? Why the secrecy and the rush to get this done before any public or expert input. We must demand answers.

Stephen Wall, MD, FAAP

Waynesville