I am writing on behalf of the medical staff at St. Joseph Hospital to express our strong opposition to the proposed sale of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maine (BCBSME) to Anthem Inc. At a recent medical staff meeting, our physicians voted unanimously to oppose the sale.

This proposed sale, now undergoing hearings by the state insurance commissioner, would permit the sale of Maine’s only state-based nonprofit health insurer to an out-of-state for-profit health BC plan.

If this sale takes place, Maine citizens would be left without a local insurer whose stated mission is to provide affordable health insurance to Maine residents. Instead, Maine citizens would be forced to purchase health insurance from large for-profit insurers who are more concerned with shareholder profits than Maine citizen’s access to affordable insurance.

We urge our patients to join with their doctors in voicing opposition to this sale by calling or writing Insurance Commissioner Al Iuppa in Augusta. Robert F. Cody Jr., M.D. President, medical staff St. Joseph Hospital Bangor