It would be one thing if the rural residents of Washington County were arguing against the creation of solar farms ("Solar vs. scenery: Panels sow division," front page, March 20) because the developers were proposing to clear-cut native forests, natural prairies or water-cleansing wetlands to create these solar panel arrays. But there's really not much that's inherently more "natural" or attractively rural about mammoth fields planted with genetically engineered corn, irrigated by enormous circulating irrigation wheels that are lowering groundwater supplies at an alarming rate; corn that, for the most part, will be used to produce livestock feed to nurture cattle that produce methane gas as they provide federally subsidized beef that helps Americans keep their cholesterol at record levels; and fields that are sprayed with thousands of gallons of chemical pesticides and herbicides that are mandatory if you want to grow trademark-protected hybrid plant species produced by Cargill and other corporations.
I, for one, think that solar arrays and wind farms are a heck of a lot more visually attractive than much of what passes for "natural" rural agriculture these days.
Bryan Trandem, Minneapolis
HEALTH INSURANCE
It may be a quagmire, but you must slog through it
Some seniors in Albert Lea are surprised and upset because they pay out-of-network fees to use their local MercyOne clinic that is not in their Blue Cross and Blue Shield provider network ("Albert Lea seniors caught in insurance quagmire," Business, March 20). They are asking the Minnesota attorney general to jawbone Blue Cross to alter a federal Medicare Advantage plan. Blue Cross is the wrong target. The real villain is staring back from the nearest mirror.
These people are shooting themselves in the foot by ignoring the annual changes in their Medicare Advantage plans during the fall open enrollment period and changing plans if necessary. Also, they are ignoring the January-through-March Medicare Advantage opportunity to change plans if they are unhappy. Moves to different plans can still be made. I suggest they call the Senior Linkage Line for advice today.
As a former Medicare educator for over 20 years, I have informed folks who are considering choosing Medicare Advantage over original Medicare that they will be managing the quality and cost of their health care by engaging in an annual battle of wits with a group of insurance companies. The plans have changing features including premiums, copays, prescription drug costs, provider networks and non-Medicare benefits. Done correctly, this challenge is daunting, and most ignore it.
Consequently, the seniors in Albert Lea should be prepared to make tough decisions. For example: Is switching to a plan with MercyOne in network acceptable if it has a prescription drug plan that is much more expensive than the Blue Cross drugs? Which of your current doctors are not in the network with MercyOne?
Gerald Maher, Eden Prairie