In response to the article "She lives 4 months with half her skull" (May 14), there is no reason that in the United States a person has to live four months without a part of their body. Briana Lane, who was in a car accident, had part of her skull temporarily removed to save her life. But when it came to putting the part of the skull back, Medicaid and others made her wait four months to make her whole again. Meanwhile, the bone piece lay in a hospital freezer.

This is another example of how our health care is failing us. As a registered nurse, I have witnessed how saving lives has taken a back seat to red tape and insurance snags. When vital surgeries are put on hold due to insurance delays or Medicaid red tape, this is absolutely wrong. Our priority should always be to take care of the patient; no matter the cost or even if they have insurance coverage.

Shepherd A. Martin, Fairview Heights

---

Keep universal health care as option

I applaud Tim Bonfield's article "Uninsured risk crushing bills" (May 10) on those who do not have adequate health insurance. An untreated infectious disease affects all of us.

Basic health care is a moral right, which should be recognized in civil law. A challenge for faith-based and ethics based communities is to reach consensus on basic care as distinguished from extraordinary care.

Citizens of our state and our nation have the responsibility to support each person's health care needs. I hope we have the inner spiritual freedom to generously consider all options, including those that would better coordinate our health care. One such option is the single-payer system, in which all health care financing is handled through a single administrative entity that is nonprofit and publicly accountable, providing comprehensive coverage.

Benjamin J. Urmston, Evanston

---

Borgman column shows his sweet side

Over the years I haven't always agreed with Jim Borgman's cartoons, but reading Sunday's column that Borgman wrote about his mother ("Thanks, Mom, for bringing so much of home - and you - to work," May 9), I have to say he gets no thumbs-down on that one. He made me a fan again. Anyone who can write something so sweet can't be all bad. I must say it brought a tear to my eye. (Not like his cartoons that can sometimes make steam come out of my ears).

Thanks for a good Mother's Day article, and I just hope Borgman paid his mother well.

Donna Bruce, Green Township

---

Neighbors' noise worse than Lunken

I favor the expansion and improvements to Lunken Airport. As a 50-year plus resident of the area, I have no hesitation to the added traffic and feel the noise complaints are paranoia from a small segment.

I hear much more disturbance from yapping dogs, lawn mowers, weed whips and loud cars than from aircraft overhead. The jets are the quietest of all the planes.

While we are at the planning table, it would seem only natural to use the rail tracks along Kellogg Avenue to connect to downtown for sightseeing recreational travel, as well as commuter and business use. Let's see how much community spirit the railroad companies have for tracks that sit idle so many hours each day.

Tom Arnold, Mount Lookout

---

Abusive drivers should be retested

I want to second the comments in the letter "Not all bad drivers are teens" (May 10). Also, I would like to make one other suggestion. Requiring anyone, regardless of age, to take a test for renewal of their driver's license if they have had more than two tickets for moving violations within a year, or have been at fault in an accident, might go a long way to make "abusive drivers" more responsible.

Richard E. Slaughter, Glendale

---

Just watch our population zoom

The Partnership for Livable Communities says Cincinnati is one of the most livable cities in America ("Index places Cincinnati 44th among U.S. cities," May 12). Of course, 5 billion cicadas can't be wrong.

Tom Budde, Blue Ash