I have been deeply involved in my community for the majority of my adult life. Before retiring, I served in the Maine Legislature for more than 18 years. Through that experience, I gained firsthand knowledge of the issues facing my community and, on more than one occasion, residents expressed concern about their health care. Personally, I am a Medicare Advantage beneficiary and I wish more members of my local community would consider enrolling in this valuable program.

Since enrolling, Medicare Advantage has upheld a high standard. But I wasn’t always this secure in my health care costs. As a former dairy farmer and small business owner, securing good health care was once a challenge. Nowadays, Medicare Advantage allows me to choose a plan that best suits my personal health care needs. This program stands to greatly benefit seniors in search of personalized, affordable care that really is unmatched. It is a very healthy situation that the public has so many companies competing for their business.

Of course, there is always room for improvement, including in relation to health care. But the Medicare Advantage program is one aspect that is really working for Mainers and others across the country and absolutely deserves continued support from lawmakers in Congress. It is crucial that our representatives work to preserve that program.

John Nutting, Leeds