I am self-employed and buy health insurance from Anthem that covers my family for about $980 a month with a $500-a-person deductible we first must meet. I received notice that the monthly premium will soon increase to $1,200. In two years, I have seen my monthly premium soar by more than $400 – a 50 percent increase! Is it reasonable for a middle-class family to pay $14,400 a year for health insurance?

A family in Virginia pays $450 a month for very similar coverage with the same deductible. Why should I pay $750 more a month than they do? It doesn’t make sense. The reason for this difference is legislative mandates passed almost 15 years ago called guaranteed issue and community rating. Since then almost all health insurance companies have left the state leaving Anthem with a virtual monopoly in the individual and small-group market.

The Legislature should repeal these regulations that virtually no other state has and get us back in line with the standards that most health insurance carriers work with. That’s the only way to bring competition back to our health insurance market and significantly lower costs. It’s time for real reform that will actually make a difference for overburdened Maine families.

Matt Thomas

Bangor