I had the pleasure and honor of seeing a U.S. Marine on leave who was referred to me by a local emergency room for a serious infection threatening the vision in one of his eyes.

I witnessed this very polite young man talking on the phone with a variety of military insurance-related personnel – getting an obvious runaround and an inability to get the clearance for this visit. He appeared embarrassed at keeping me waiting.

I was happy to step in and see him for this problem. As one who sees underinsured and uninsured civilian patients, I find it particularly disheartening to see how our men and women in uniform are being treated for serious problems such as this.

While I have no doubt that he could have had great care within the military system, the fact that he was on leave and that this care was inaccessible to him leaves us with an obvious need for a better system. I know that this has been a stated priority for those on Capitol Hill, but would like to see actions sooner than words.

In trying times such as these, we need our soldiers as much as ever, and their health should be a higher priority.

Edward Jaccoma, M.D.

Kennebunk