I am writing to comment on, and correct, what I believe are some significant inaccuracies in the Maine Compass piece by Rep. Robert Nutting (“Legislature Beat Expectation,” June 15).

Nutting’s assessment of the progress of the Maine Legislature is self-aggrandizing, and his statements on the impact of the Legislature’s action on health care are misleading.

My private insurance premiums from Anthem recently have increased by about 15 percent for the fourth time since 2004. People who try to buy private health insurance in Maine, such as a small business like mine, will be rebuffed at every step of the way.

If you are successful, you will be able to get only marginal coverage at high cost.

The changes that the Legislature put into place in Maine do not solve this problem. Why? Because the deregulation part of Maine’s new law allows insurers to charge older people much higher rates than younger people and allows much higher rates in some rural areas. Moreover, the coverage is not equivalent, so any significant decrease in premiums is because the coverage is much poorer and there are increases for others that also help make up the difference.

The Legislature did not really solve the overall health insurance problem; it just moved the burden and provided other coverage that appears to cost less, but really doesn’t. Our current system still has the insurance companies making our health decisions, instead of the doctors, and almost everyone is still only one major illness away from a financial disaster.

Mike Willey

Oakland

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