There is broad agreement that our health care system is not serving us well. Too many of us are uninsured or underinsured and forgo or seriously compromise the medical care that we should all be getting. Compared with our peers in other wealthy countries, we spend more, are less healthy and die earlier.

With a recently published survey of Maine voters, we can now quantify the level of our discontent. The survey was conducted by Digital Research and was commissioned by Consumers for Affordable Health Care.

The survey showed that most Mainers believe just one major medical event or illness could cause financial disaster for them. Nearly all surveyed (89%) believe it is highly important that everyone in the state have access to comprehensive health insurance. The question was asked, “How much of a priority should it be for lawmakers in Augusta to work to ensure that every Mainer has access to some form of affordable comprehensive health insurance?” Eighty-six percent of respondents answered that it should be the top or a high priority.

The Legislature is already working hard on An Act to Ensure Health Care for All Maine Residents (L.D. 329) and a proposed amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing a right to health care (L.D. 590). Now is the time for all of us, in the 86% majority, to contact our state representatives and senators to express our appreciation of their work and our support for the proposed legislation. By doing this, we can all make a difference.

Michael Bacon
Westbrook