To the Editor:

After 29 years as a pediatrician in Western North Carolina, with over 120,000 patient visits under my belt, I can say that I have never felt so disheartened and, frankly, disgusted by the action and inaction of our elected representatives as far as the health of our children and many pregnant women are concerned.

I have a young patient with a rare, probably lifelong and potentially life-threatening infection. His medication costs thousands of dollars a month. He has Health Choice (CHIP) insurance, funded mainly by the U.S. Congress. Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, assured me on Oct. 24 that CHIP would be funded within a week or two at the most! It has NOT been funded and 9 million children in the richest country in history are about to be thrown to the wolves.

Our local state representatives: Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, Rep. Michelle Presnell, R-Burnsville, and Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, have as far as I know said nothing about the hundreds of families in their district about to be affected. Will our elected representatives step up and pressure Congress to get this done?

And I also ask congressmen Meadows and Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-Gastonia, to publicly pledge that they will oppose any attempt to pay for the tax cut by cutting Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP or Social Security!

Stephen Wall, MD FAAP

Waynesville