A hearty thanks to Douglas Rooks for the great article on Vermont’s efforts to enact a single-payer health care system (May 15).

While Vermont will lead the way to a more equitable system, recognizing that all their citizens deserve access to affordable, high-quality care, the Maine Legislature has opted to rearrange the deck chairs on the health insurance Titanic, clinging to the belief, in spite of decades of experience to the contrary, that health care is a commodity that can be handled by the free market — just like buying a pair of shoes.

Wrong.

Health care costs are going to continue to rise due to the aging of the population, technological advances and the rising incidence of chronic disease. Those are the facts.

Inviting more health insurance companies to the state, allowing Mainers to buy insurance over state lines and forcing people off Medicaid and into more expensive emergency departments does nothing to confront the fundamental problems.

Vermont’s governor and legislators have committed to finding more effective, efficient ways to deliver and pay for care for all their citizens. They should be applauded for their courage and vision.

Vermont: the way life should be.

Mary Ann Larson, New Gloucester

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