Teresa Steele’s (BDN, Sept. 30) letter states that she will vote for Susan Collins as a reward for the senator’s support of funding for nursing education. I am shocked that health care providers would throw their support to any Republican. For eight years, Republicans have failed to reform health care in any meaningful way. Instead, they have given the pharmaceutical companies a huge gift of taxpayer money through the Medicare prescription drug benefit (which fails to negotiate reasonable drug prices) and attempted to promote medical savings accounts. Health care inflation continues to outpace inflation in the economy as a whole and places an unsupportable burden on small businesses and the self-employed.

The nation needs comprehensive health care reform. Susan Collins had her chance to act. Tom Allen has a plan.

Laurie Nicholson

Stonington