Does Kaiser help or hurt?

Re “Kaiser a step ahead of ailing economy,” April 1

As a retired pediatric cardiologist who joined the Southern California Permanente Medical Group in 1955, The Times’ article on Kaiser Permanente filled me with great pride.

Not mentioned but extremely important is its strong heritage in academic medicine. The founding physicians were faculty members at the USC medical school and taught at the L.A. County hospital. They were committed to supporting lifelong learning and teaching, and they attracted physicians and allied health personnel who had the same ideals.

Samuel Sapin MD

Sherman Oaks

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This article about Kaiser is a slap in the face for its patients who have died or are suffering from chronic conditions such as cancer and kidney problems. Kaiser’s financial success is largely due to finding loopholes to prevent these expensive patients from receiving the care they require.

Hillarie Levy

Simi Valley