The national debate about health care has revealed that the vast majority of Americans feel that care shouldnt be denied to any citizen. The devils in the details.

Folks on both sides of the health care issue celebrate their 65th birthday with the gift of Medicare coverage. Lacking a viable Senate plan, Obamacare needs (bipartisan) repair in the short term. But in the long run, gradually lowering the age of Medicare eligibility over the next generation is the simplest, least painful way to transition to the national health care that most Americans desire.

Maybe it really isnt that complicated.

Terry Boyles, Riverside

Having witnessed a housing explosion in price escalation in 1974, then again in 1988, then again in 2003 and now again in 2016 history has repeated itself, and the civic planners have once again missed an opportunity to get housing under control.

Unrelenting house appreciation is not a good thing. It was not in 74, 88, 03 or now.

And civic leaders control the new housing market and have again blown an opportunity to increase the tax base and housing stock while keeping affordable and entry-level homes available for average, working people.

There are solutions, but it is obvious that our civic planners, leaders and special interests do not care about the majority of Riverside residents. Not everyone can afford a $600,000 home.

Jerry Cook, Riverside

The Press-Enterprise writes about hopeful traffic improvements in Temecula with the new 215/79 project (June 7), but what about Corona? Wasnt traffic supposed to improve in Corona and surrounding cities and counties, i.e., Southern California? Its worse than ever.

The city of Corona approved new dense housing at Dos Lagos which has added hundreds of new cars to the on-ramps and 15 and 91 freeways. Dos Lagos looks like military housing surrounded by multi-dwelling units.

The city approved 1,500-plus new single-family dwellings at Cajalco and Bedford Canyon, which makes buying a loaf of bread and a quart of milk at Stater Bros. next to impossible. The city approved a multi-unit Terrasa development at Foothill parkway near the 15 and theyre grading over 10 acres to build practically on top of the 15 South. Thousands of apartments have been built at North Main. Corona has been destroyed.

At work I hear people complaining who commute from as close as Yorba Linda and Lake Elsinore. Since I live in south Corona and have to use Weirick, Im really stuck. Traffic feeds into the Weirick on-ramp from Temescal Canyon Drive and all those ant colonies and from commuters from San Diego County and Temecula, plus a stream from my area which rides north on Weirick to the on-ramp; then theres traffic coming down from The Retreat, and from northern Weirick. Drivers dive into gaps, doing U-turns and act like idiots because they have been turned into rats. There are accidents weekly.

Who is in charge in California? This is ridiculous and now we are at over 40 million people? God save us. Leadership sure wont. We are drowning in people. Soon well mimic the famous rat population experiment where as the population increased and resources were limited, rats turned on themselves, then grew apathetic and then just died in their corner.

Philip Palermo, Corona

Re: Is single-payer the health care answer? [Question of the week, June 6]:

I am a health insurance agent and firmly believe that every person should have access to health care. However, I also believe that the single-payer system is not the answer.

First of all, by eliminating employer-paid health insurance, single-payer shifts health care costs to the employee. It has been estimated that single-payer will increase your personal tax bill by almost $9,200 per person in the first year and will increase each year after that. In addition to hiking taxes it will destroy millions of jobs.

While single-payer plans offer citizens some kind of health care coverage, they dont guarantee access to medical care. Single-payer inevitably controls costs by rationing health care. I for one want to be in control of my health care decisions, not a bureaucrat in California.

This is a disastrous bill for Californians and could be the final nail in the coffin for the California economy and unfortunately for many Californians facing future medical crises.

Patricia Stiffler, Eastvale Past President, Orange County Association of Health Underwriters

Single-payer is one variant on universal health care systems. As someone who has experienced them in New Zealand and the United Kingdom as a patient and a taxpayer, I can definitely say they are better than private insurance-based systems from both perspectives.

California has a population 10 times that of New Zealand and can make single-payer work effectively. The advantages of single payer for patients are full coverage, better health and less stress; for big employers, less cost; for small employers, a fairer playing field; for everyone including providers, less paperwork.

A healthy California provides the peace of mind that we are less likely to get sick from a fellow workmate, student or neighbor when everyone has access to quality health care.

Nat Lerner, Hemet

I realize my thoughts are meaningless to our legislators. But I find it necessary to record my opinions, which are:

1. There is no plan in the bill as to where the revenue would come from, meaning we the citizens can plan on another huge tax increase.

2. The state recently hit the citizens with a tax increase of $52 billion (over 10 years). So why not add $400 billion for SB562, according to the Legislative Analyst?

3. Illegal immigrants should not receive citizens tax funds for their support.

4. The only way for businesses to meet the future demands is to raise their prices. Which is a hidden tax on the buyers.

5. Big winners are the union bosses who are supporting the passage of the bill not the workers.

6. Once the bureaucratic machine is in place, it will continue to grow with a life of its own.

Our state legislators have made it clear they only care about the unions and undocumented immigrants. Again where is all the revenue to come from? Us.

Don Darwin, Norco

Last week, U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar joined 183 of his colleagues from both political parties in signing a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Tom Price. The letter asks HHS to close a loophole that allows health insurers to deny coverage to patients who get charitable help to pay their premiums.

Many patients who depend on dialysis to keep them alive also depend on charities for financial assistance. Some insurance companies are refusing to accept these premium payments, and others are saying patients who take charitable assistance to pay their premiums can be dropped. While dialysis patients have the option of Medicare, it only covers 80 percent and not all are eligible for Medi-Cal. California does not allow dialysis patients the option of a supplement or marketplace (ACA) insurance.

For anyone with a chronic disease, losing your insurance is a catastrophe. I am grateful to Rep. Aguilar and colleagues for taking action.

Lori Noyes, Upland

When our legislators want to repeal a law that makes it a crime to use false documents to conceal citizenship status, are they thinking of the citizens of California? Of course not. It is encouraging the commitment of one crime on top on another. Illegal entry into this country, obtaining illegal documents and possibly not even a slap on the hand.

All of this without transparency. We voted for Proposition 54, and as usual politicians do what they want.

Edith Reed, Hemet

As a veteran I was disappointed because there was very little mention of D-Day in the June 6 Press-Enterprise. There was one paragraph on Page 2, and two comic strips (Mallard Fillmore and Peanuts).

Its a shame that the Greatest Generation has become just a fading memory.

Wally Ingram, Hemet

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Letters: Health care isn't that complicated - Press-Enterprise