MaineHealth needs to resume negotiations with Anthem for the sake of 300,000 Mainers: Letters

MaineHealth needs to resume negotiations with Anthem for the sake of 300,000 Mainers

July 21 – To the Editor:

In Seacoastonline’s recent story, MaineHealth CEO Andy Mueller is quoted saying, “the health of the community is tied directly to the health of the economy of the community.” This starkly contradicts MaineHealth’s recent announcement that they will be terminating Maine Medical Center from Anthem’s network.

Maine healthcare costs are among some of the highest in the nation, and a significant burden on the community. If Maine Medical Center leaves Anthem’s network, this will raise healthcare costs for over 300,000 Mainers who rely on Anthem for insurance.

MaineHealth initiated this departure only after Anthem held them accountable for overbilling patients to the tune of $20 million. And, even though they agreed to a mediation process, during so they made the premature announcement that they intended to terminate this access. It begs the question of if MaineHealth truly had their patients’ best interests at heart and were willing to negotiate, why would they make such an announcement in the middle of negotiations? One could wonder if they truly had any intention of negotiating in the first place.

More: MaineHealth CEO sees challenges, opportunities for vision of 'healthiest communities in America'

Nevertheless, it is time for MaineHealth to set aside their differences and come back to the negotiating table with Anthem. A partnership between the state’s largest hospital and the state’s largest health insurance provider is critical for ensuring Mainers have access to the quality healthcare they deserve.

Jonathan Moynahan

Eliot, Maine

Abortion is an 'unalienable right' and should not be subject to whim of voters

July 21 – To the Editor:

Several local Republicans have had letters published in these papers praising the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn the right of abortion and “let the people decide.” That certainly sounds noble in the abstract but runs contrary to democracy and individual freedoms in real life.

Our nation’s founders understood that a country’s government should protect some fundamental rights of its citizens. Thomas Jefferson penned the term “inalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence to clarify that point. Such rights are not negotiable, nor should they be.

For many women, an abortion is not a choice, it is a life-saving procedure and as such, it is an inalienable right. Such rights should never be on the ballot.

If the Supreme Court and many Republicans are going to start negotiating our inalienable rights, then everything is up for grabs: abortion, marriage, our right (and access) to vote, and even the right to abolish slavery.

Not all Republicans oppose the right of abortion, but what does it say about those who do, after opposing government programs offering low-cost, universal health care to the public? Now, when it comes to medical procedures necessary to preserve the life of women, these same Republicans want to see heavy government involvement in the most intimate and personal medical care for women.

James Fieseher, MD

Dover

Kittery residents right to reject 900 units at Dennett Landing

July 21 – To the Editor:

Congratulations and many thanks to the Kittery residents who blocked the Dennett Landing 900-unit residential and commercial development last week. As a South Eliot resident, I frequently travel both Dennett Road and Route 236 and was not looking forward to the "nightmare" this project would bring!

Cindy L. Saklad

Eliot, Maine

Maggie Hassan trying to take credit for Chuck Morse's fiscal responsibility

July 21 – To the Editor:

The onslaught of Senator Maggie Hassan’s television commercials enabled by her $27 million national fundraising haul has begun. With inflation roaring, her consistent support for President Biden’s reckless spending and votes against the energy industry are best forgotten – particularly as New Hampshire ranked last among the states in largesse from the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Plan. Better to detach from Washington, and hope to convince Granite Staters of a mythical fiscal constraint during her time as state senator and governor.

The reality is that Hassan’s financial record was outside of the mainstream in New Hampshire. She increased taxes on small business owners operating as Limited Liability Companies – only to be reversed a year later. She hiked gas taxes. Her proposed 2015 budget would have increased taxes and fees by $100 million – now she takes credit for the fact that the Senate, led by Republican Chuck Morse, overrode her veto of their tax cuts which stimulated business and resulted in surpluses.

This Senate race promises to set spending records, with much of the Republican attention focused internally until the Sept. 13 primary gives way to a six-week dash to the Nov. 8 election. Voters would be wise to turn off the Hassan media blitz, and instead do some research about which candidate has the best experience, policies, and state-wide understanding to “take the 603 values to Washington”. At a time when financial prudence is paramount, Senate President Chuck Morse – who really did what Hassan claims credit for – fills the bill.

Bill Bowen

Portsmouth

US sales from Strategic Petroleum Reserve are making a difference in global oil market

July 21 –To the Editor:

A recent letter to the editor published in the Portsmouth Herald, criticized President Biden selling millions of barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Unfortunately, the author only focused on the sale of the oil and never discussed the overall benefits resulting from the sale and the purpose of the SPS. The author did mention that when Biden announced the sale he stated that it was being done "in order to address high energy costs in this country." I assume that quote was inserted as a form of criticism, but in fact that is exactly what has happened and exactly why the SPR was created.

According to Lutz Killiam, a senior economic policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas, in an email to Fact Check, "The markets for crude oil and gasoline are global. Selling this crude (whether at home or abroad) will tend to lower the global price, which is what determines what refiners pay for crude oil. Hence, lower crude prices allow the price of gasoline in the U.S. (and elsewhere) to decline."

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for the fuel-tracking service GasBuddy, told Fact Check "that so far the SPR releases are having an impact on gasoline prices by preventing prices from escalating more substantially- not so much by actively pushing prices down."

De Haan also told Fact Check that "the government's role is to supply oil to a market that needs it. It is irrelevant where it goes as long as it's going into the market."

Of course, such facts do not fit into the right-wing echo chamber, and are never presented in their diatribes. However, the facts and the truth are available to everyone if they take the time and make the effort to learn them instead of relying on biased, self-serving sources.

Rich DiPentima, LTC, USAF, Ret.

Portsmouth

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: MaineHealth needs to resume negotiations with Anthem: Letters