As a small-business owner, I have always admired Sen. Susan Collins for her common-sense independence and willingness to do the right thing for Maine regardless of party allegiance. However, we need her now to reconsider her opposition to the Senate health care bill, which would repeal the $500 billion in taxes along with the terrible Obamacare mandates that punish my business as well as many other small Maine businesses.

Obamacare is also a big burden on the Maine economy. The additional fees and taxes imposed by the law, as well as the breathtaking increases in premiums without the corresponding increase in health benefits, reduce our ability to increase wages, invest in new equipment and create new jobs. Obamacare stifles business vitality.

Yes, the Senate bill isn’t perfect, but it’s the best chance, and perhaps only one, we’ll get to undo the damage that Obamacare has caused and make a fresh start.

The Senate bill will allow increased competition, remove unnecessary mandates (bringing prices down) and give states more control over programs like Medicaid, which will free up money that states could use to assist our neediest residents. While her concerns about Medicaid in general may be valid, the impacts of this bill are not immediate (taking effect in 2025) and thus can be changed in the meantime.

Sen. Collins opposed Obamacare’s passage in 2010 and has criticized it many times since then because it hurts small businesses and their employees. It is time for her to move from words to action. Support the Senate bill, please.

Carolyn Brodsky

Scarborough


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