On Nov. 7, we will have the opportunity to vote on a very important referendum item, Question 2, An Act To Enhance Access to Affordable Health Care. Make no mistake, this is an extremely important measure for Franklin County as well as all of Maine. The health of our families and neighbors, our economic vitality, and the strength of our healthcare system all hang in the balance.
At issue is accessing federal dollars to expand Mainecare insurance to people under 65 making up to 138 percent of the poverty line. This is an income of $22,000 for a family of two. Seventy thousand uninsured Mainers would gain coverage with the federal government funding 90 percent of the cost. This is our last chance to take advantage of this funding.
Campaigns to expand Mainecare began with the first passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Indeed, Mainecare expansion has passed the Maine legislature five times only to be vetoed by the Governor each time. This idea has a long history of broad bipartisan support.
You don’t have to look far to see why this is a key issue for Franklin County residents. A year ago, Franklin Memorial Hospital was an independent community hospital. With high numbers of Mainers uninsured, Franklin Memorial, like every other hospital in the state, has been losing unsustainable amounts of money to the costs of uncompensated care. Uninsured Mainers do not have fewer health problems than the rest of us. They still go to the emergency room, still get admitted, still get expensive care – but the hospital foots the bill without reimbursement. To bail itself out of this impossible jam FMH became part of Maine Health in Portland to access the financial resources of a larger system. Our neighboring hospital Central Maine Medical Center has also seen dire financial pressures requiring cutbacks in services and the lay off 10 clinical providers among many other employees. Laying off providers is a very unusual move in any system. As long as the economic fundamentals of uncompensated care continue there is no guarantee that even these measures will be sufficient to hold our system together.
But the benefits of the expansion go far beyond even this issue. It would create an estimated 3000 jobs statewide, reversing this trend of layoffs. Moreover, it has been shown repeatedly that healthy employees are more productive, and access to health care saves lives. For that we need look no further than the ever-worsening opiate crisis that now claims a Mainer a week. We are one of the few states in the country where the number of people in addiction treatment has fallen even as the problem worsens by every measure. We have no chance of even slowing this epidemic without the access to treatment this expansion will bring.
The last time Mainecare expansion came up, both Republican and Democratic legislators, the state’s Chambers of Commerce, the Maine Hospital Association, the Franklin Memorial Hospital board, Franklin County Sheriffs, Maine Health and the Maine Small Business Association, among many others, all came out in support of the legislation.
This will be our last chance for this money. I urge you to vote yes on Question 2 in November.
Steve Bien, MD
Farmington
I could not agree more with Dr. Bien. The Governor has tried to paint Mainecare expansion as a tax issue but in reality we all pay for the care of uninsured individuals. Insurance companies adjust their premiums to account for the cost shifting that occurs to compensate for free care. Less free care leads to lower premiums for all.
The Governor tries to label potential Mainecare recipients as lazy able-bodied adults who should just get a job. In reality, most of the benefit would be to men and women working low wage jobs whose employers do not provide health insurance. These individuals are one serious illness away from personal bankruptcy and often cannot afford preventative care to keep them well.
Dr. Bien also correctly points out the economic impact to Franklin Memorial Hospital and Franklin and upper Androscoggin Counties. Stabilizing the finances of the hospital helps to preserve hundreds of jobs in our communities.
I also strongly urge you to vote yes on Question 2 in November.
Jay Naliboff MD
Chesterville
Expanding Mainecare is not a new concept.
In 2002 the Legislature expanded Mainecare and we experienced a unfunded long term debt to the hospitals exceeding $700 million. If you remember it took years before the hospitals were paid. Those dollars were taken from Maine’s General Fund Budget and were unavailable to fund other needed programs.
Let’s not make the same mistake again.
Expanding Mainecare further , as proposed by Question #2 will benefit mostly able bodied young people, at the expense of all of us who pay taxes to the State of Maine.
I’ve seen estimates that enactment of Question #2 could result in an additional $500 million cost to our State Budget.
Dollars many of us would feel could be used better elsewhere.
I’d suggest that supporting question #2 is the same as suggesting that expanding Mainecare is more important than funding our schools, or providing additional nursing home care for our senior citizens in need.
Budgeting is about setting priorities, and Question #2 , proposed by liberal special interest groups, simply bypasses the normal budgetary process, demanding that Mainecare expansion must be funded before other needed government services.
I strongly urge your voters to vote NO on Question #2. Thanks.
1 – The potential 3000 jobs would be state jobs. Tax payer hit.
2 – The Feds kick in a percentage. Tax payer hit. You don’t spend unnecessary money at home just because you
get a discount
3 – More younger, able bodied people receiving benefits. Tax payer hit.
4 – When is the last time a government program actually worked? Why would you want more involvement?
5 – The cost of health care is out of control due to the extravagant cost of drugs and medical equipment (big
business and big money in lobbying) not because of lack of care.
I’m voting no on 2. It’s just another bailout…that’s probably why LePage kept vetoing. Our legislators and special interest groups continue lead us to believe we can solve our problems by throwing more money at it and that’s not helping us Tax Payers.
P.S. Abolish the 2 Parties
Add this to what the school is doing and before long we’ll all be “on the town.” A taxpayers nightmare, what will stop this and when? I’m voting NO on 2 and 1 and the school referendum!!! Why on 1, because it will take jobs and money from the Oxford Casino and move them to southern Maine! Nothing gained for the state.
The cost of my premium has increased to the same level of my mortgage, my deductible is so unreasonably high I haven’t gone in years. You want to expand this system? no thank you