On June 30, the Portland Press Herald reported the state Center for Disease Control and Prevention aims to remove ”barriers for people who want to get vaccinated.”

I wonder: Just what barriers to vaccination and shortage of options remain? For months there have been an abundance of vaccines and vaccination locations within Maine – all very well communicated. Even though the numbers are smaller, new COVID cases continue. We can assume almost all these recent and new cases are people who chose not to be vaccinated. Again, most chose not to participate; they were not precluded from prevention.

Why would people gamble with their lives and also endanger the well-being of others at the same time? The answer is that the “system” will take care of them if they become ill. Just call 911 and check into a hospital and the taxpayers will cover you.

Most everyone agrees those who choose to smoke should rightly pay higher hospital insurance rates than nonsmokers. After an extensive COVID vaccination outreach campaign, why not now make people more responsible for their own actions?

Introducing a personal surcharge for treating unvaccinated COVID patients should up the vaccination rate in a hurry.

Also: If unvaccinated people can get to a concert, ballgame or fair, they can get to a CVS for a shot. No need to set up special vaccination booths at events.

Charlie Galloway
Kennebunk

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