Sen. Susan Collins’ recent column (“Health insurance rate increases were avoidable,” April 8) is consistent with her previous views on “fixing” our long-standing health insurance debacle.
But she’s backing the wrong horse. Both of her suggestions for reining in rising health care premiums involve pumping billions of federal dollars (your taxes) into state government. The first is help defray the costs of copays and deductibles for Americans with incomes below 250 percent of the poverty level. The second is to provide $30 billion to states to create high-risk reinsurance pools for those with chronic (read expensive) health care needs. To follow through on these ideas will, of course, place yet another well-intentioned Band-Aid on our inefficient insurance system.
Millions of Americans have a better idea. They want real cost controls on health care costs. They want a more efficient system with low administrative costs. They want a system where no one is left behind. They want to purchase medications they can afford, not a system that is leading them down the path to medical bankruptcy.
What would this system look like? Medicare for all. Medicare has low administrative costs, pays the bills without undue hassle and could be expanded to cover all Americans, if there is political will.
Sen. Collins, I know you’re concerned about the well-being of all American citizens. Get off your horse. It’s going down the wrong road. Back Medicare for all.
Chuck Radis, DO
Peaks Island
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