The fact that the U.S. Senate has voted to proceed with discussion on its version of the health reform bill is particularly welcome news to those of us who are early retirees.

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that less than half of people ages 55 to 64 work full-time. Many are transitioning to full retirement by becoming self-employed or working for a small company. These types of jobs typically don’t come with employer-based health insurance.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would create an Exchange to guarantee that early retirees would always have a choice of quality, affordable health insurance. The Exchange would provide standardized, readily-understandable information on various health insurance plans offered in a geographic area, so Americans could easily compare prices and plans.

Having the freedom to be able to shop around for the plan that best fits your needs certainly beats the status quo; particularly here in Maine where one insurer dominates the industry.

Patti Mikkelsen, New Gloucester