Medical debt is a main cause for personal bankruptcy.

No one goes to the emergency room with a heart attack or acute appendicitis and calculates whether or not they can pay. Care is care. Health care institutions have the moral — and what we hope to make legal, via L.D. 1955 — obligation to assist those in need.

L.D. 1955 would help the four out of 10 Mainers prevent medical debt. While I agree that patients should have some financial responsibility, they should still have income left to live. Sliding scale payment plans, transparency, and avoiding debt collection are key to this bill.

As a physician, I feel patients should not have surprise bills or defer lifesaving tests due to cost. I hope people join me in writing to their local state representatives and senators in support of L.D. 1955 — An Act to Require Hospitals and Hospital-affiliated Providers to Provide Financial Assistance for Medical Care.

Isabella Taylor, Lewiston