I was pleased to see letter writer Ken MacLean’s positive experience with his visit to the new Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Portland (“Veteran grateful for new VA clinic,” March 19, Page A6). It is indeed an impressive structure, and this country’s military veterans deserve the very best of care.

However, I couldn’t let Mr. MacLean’s closing comment go by without a response. He concludes: “The men and women who are employed to deliver care are first class, caring and eager to provide veterans with 5-star service. I don’t imagine that any other nation can match us in this respect.”

Mr. MacLean should do a little research to discover that dozens of industrialized nations, in fact, provide first-class health care to all, or the great majority, of their citizens – not only military veterans. Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan and many others provide either free or universal health care to 90 percent or more of their residents.

It’s a sad fact that, in the U.S., because of the efforts of Big Pharma, the medical industry and the lack of effort on the part of elected officials serving us in Washington, D.C., subsidized health care is limited to veterans, those on Medicaid and, of course, those elected officials.

Want to help change that? Visit MaineHealthcareAction.org and ask how you can help this state move toward universal health care for all.

Bob Hamblen
Saco