In “Maine Voices: Looming doctor shortage demands action” (Jan. 3), Rebecca Sacchetti suggested the direct primary care model as one way to address physician shortages in our state. Physician assistants are also able to address physician shortages, but administrative constraints are holding us back. Let’s modernize physician assistant practice so that physician assistants, physicians and […]

The sobering reality of the most recent report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is that unless we cap the average global surface temperature at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, catastrophic climate impacts will be unavoidable. We are currently at one degree Celsius above that level, and […]

Do you want Trump to be defeated? Then vote for the Democratic nominee. If that nominee isn’t your first choice, vote for him/her anyway and donate money. There are plenty of examples when people have not done this. In 1968, anti-war folks wouldn’t vote for Humphrey. Result: we got Nixon. In 1980, Ted Kennedy attempted […]

As your Jan. 9 editorial, “Child care access is a Maine workforce issue,” points out: Today, too many working parents with young children must make a choice between spending a significant portion of their income on child care, finding cheaper but potentially lower quality child care, or leaving the workforce altogether to care for their […]

There is legislation right now that would increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for occupational therapy and physical therapy services in Maine (“Maine plans to review reimbursement rates for Medicaid programs,” Jan. 22, 2020). Unfortunately it is stuck in the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee. This funding is crucial to the services that I provide, to […]

Our son lacks health insurance and I’m worried. He’s a writer, with irregular income that purchases rent and groceries, but not health insurance. As a primary care physician, I’ve seen too many lives destroyed by treatable problems. Consider 30 cars piled up on Interstate 95, or an uninsured healthy young friend, hospitalized for blood clots […]

In light of the upcoming March 3 ballot Question 1, we should recognize that it is reasonable to disagree with the common view that failure to vaccinate fully is the most risky and irrational choice for everyone. Some parents, through careful research and/or negative firsthand experience, recognize the risks associated with vaccines and try to […]