I recently read the article in the Press Herald by Joe Lawlor about surprise bills for emergency room visits (“Surprise bill for emergency room visit highlights hospital fee debate,” August 10). I’m commenting not so much about the fees or the legislation that was mentioned, or attempts to regulate them, but more about the impact on individuals in a health care system where insurance companies create financial burdens to so many with high deductibles, rates and denials that are charged.

Our health care system of providers is wonderful. Our health care system of insurance is broken and needs to be replaced by a single-payer system, like Medicare for All. Under such a system, hard-working Mainers would not be subject to fees like those described in the article. These fees would be subsumed under the global budget for the hospital, negotiated each year with the government based on the prior year’s experience. The individual referred to in this article would not only have not gotten the surprise of the added fee, but would also have had no out-of-pocket deductible.

Mainers cannot afford the current high-cost system. It’s time for our state and country to find the path to universal health care. Please contact our legislators at the state and federal levels and tell them it’s time for action.

William Keller
Windham