Can Maine afford universal healthcare? Can we afford not to have it?

My dad in England had a heart attack in his 40s. His care was fully covered by the National Health Service. He made a full recovery. He didn’t have to worry about whether he could afford treatment, nobody went into debt and my dad continued paying taxes for the next 20 years, easily repaying what it cost. There’s a net benefit to the state in keeping the workforce healthy.

By contrast, I’m dealing with an eye issue. I have two options: a moderately priced treatment now or an expensive surgery in a few years when it gets worse. The first option is clearly more sensible and affordable, and fortunately, I’ve managed to come up with the money for it.

If I hadn’t been able to raise that now, and had been forced to delay treatment, then both I and the insurance company would be on the hook for around 10 times as much. Admittedly, the insurance company probably isn’t thinking about its 2029 or 2030 balance sheet, and if I’ve changed insurance companies by then, it’s no longer their problem anyway. 

Healthcare is like any other form of maintenance. If we skip it, it’ll cost more in the long run. If people have to delay or forgo treatment, even when they have insurance, both they and the insurance companies lose out.

Matt Kelland
Winthrop