Fixing Health Insurance

Thank you, Daniel J. Bernier, for the excellent op-ed, “How to lower Maine’s high health insurance rates?” (BDN, Aug. 3).

We need free-market competition in the offering of health insurance to Maine people. Our governor and Legislature need to remove the regulations that created the mess we are in. We are currently trapped in a system that is spiraling down to disaster. Think of the money that Maine taxpayers would save if health insurance costs were lowered for all of towns, cities, schools, university system and all state employees.

We also pay more for electricity and other utilities because of higher health insurance costs for their employees. These are the employers who pass on to us the majority of their employees’ health insurance costs. (We not only have to pay our own health insurance but theirs too.)

Health insurance companies should be allowed to price their products based on the general health of the person being insured. If I exercise and eat right to stay healthy, why should I pay as much for health insurance as the person who doesn’t take care of their health? Life insurance is priced according to health factors, why not health insurance? Let the system that built this country, free- market competition, be unleashed andfix the health insurance problem.

Phil Cyr

Caribou