THE REPLY

Dear Senator Collins,
Thank you for your recent response to my concerns about health insurance, the reform process and its impact on health care here in America.I am deeply disappointed by your reply and I do hope that it was written by one of your staff as it shows a complete lack of understanding about this most important issue. Additionally the "non-partisan" Lewin Group that you cite is a subsidiary of United Health Care, a large corporation that sells (would you believe) health insurance. To use them as a resource is disingenuous and only obfuscates discussion on this issue. Obviously you have little knowledge of how the rest of the developed world functions and functions well as opposed to our totally inadequate and grossly unfair system that seems only to penalize the ill and helpless. Are you aware of the number of Americans that die yearly because of a lack of health insurance and thereby a lack of adequate health care, approximately 45,000 and of those close to 3,000 are veterans who served their country. Are you aware that the majority of bankruptcies in America are due to medical bills and the majority (75%) of these folks are working. I have two children with pre-existing conditions who cannot afford insurance. You ignore the fact that a public option does not obligate anyone to give up their present plan if they are content. I do believe that, as drug companies are now rapidly increasing their prices, the insurance industry will simply raise premiums to ensure that their obscene profits continue.
With respect I urge you to examine this with greater care. It is one of the most important issues today. Our system is in great danger of collapse and nothing in the Congressional bills seems to want to recognize that. You are all too beholden to the insurance industry.

Sincerely