To the editor:
I wish to thank Congressman Michael Michaud for doing the right thing for the people of Maine by voting for the Health Care Reform Bill. The bill is far from perfect, but it is time for congress to afford the citizens of the United States with affordable access to health care. His vote took a lot of courage as big corporations and the insurance industry are fighting this bill with all the lobbyists and dollars they can afford. If Washington lobbyists are attacking our representative with lies, he must be doing something right! The insurance companies are already raising premiums in preparation for the upcoming changes in healthcare that will allow coverage for 96 percent of Americans with no discrimation due to pre-existing conditions or gender. Contrary to what ads the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is running, this bill will eventually reduce the deficit and will not add any new taxes to businesses or to any individuals making less than $500,000 a year. Blue Cross-Blue Shield has already raised its premiums in a number of states across the United States by thirty percent. As they are doing this, more people are unable to afford health care insurance as their premiums rise by $300 per month.
If you have insurance now through your employer, and health care reform does not make it through the Congress and Senate, it won’t be long before your employer will not be able to afford to provide you with a health care benefit and you will be in the same boat as those who have to purchase their own health care.
It is time for a change and if we don’t take this opportunity now to reform health care, we may never have the chance again to do what should have been done back when Richard Nixon was president and when William Clinton was president. It is time people to contact your Representatives and Senators and urge them to do the right thing as Congressman Michaud did and pass the Health Care Reform Bill.
Frenchville
