Speaking before a friendly crowd in Washington, D.C., Maine Gov. Paul LePage this week touted a new state law that removed the “shackles” from insurance companies and provided residents with more options and lower costs.

LePage was addressing attendees at a health care forum sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, a national conservative organization that has worked to oppose the Affordable Care Act and favors free-market solutions. 

Those goals were the main thrust of LePage’s speech. The governor’s remarks were followed by a panel discussion led by Tarren Bragdon, the former CEO of the Maine Heritage Policy Center and Christie Herrera, director of the Health and Human Services Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council.

The Heritage Foundation hosted the event, holding up Maine and Florida as examples of states pushing back against the federal health care law and finding alternative, market-based insurance reforms.

The governor spoke for about 20 minutes. LePage blasted what Affordable Care Act opponents call “ObamaCare,” saying it is an initiative that will “ruin this nation” and stunt job growth.

LePage said that when it comes to solutions to complicated problems such as health care costs, the free market will always trump government solutions.

He said the market was based on competition, which he called “a basic human trait in America.”

“Competition is good,” he said. “It drives innovation. It drives efficiency, lowers costs.”

The governor also criticized the single-payer health care model championed by some progressives and Democrats. LePage told the audience that he experienced the pitfalls of single payer firsthand when he worked for a Canadian logging company between 1972 and 1979.

He said the Canadian system led to a rationing of services and lower quality of care.

Health care wasn’t the only topic on LePage’s mind. He said most government-run programs were failures, including Social Security. LePage said the program was “well-intended and well-designed,” but that it had been raided by an overreaching Congress that expanded the system.

“It’s now asked to provide benefits to noncitizens who have never participated in the system,” said LePage, adding that Social Security was “headed for disaster” while Congress was doing nothing.

LePage then moved back to the topic of health care. An audience member asked him how he had mustered the political capital to complete such a sweeping overhaul.

The governor said it wasn’t easy, referring briefly to his relationship with the media.

“The press and I have a love-hate relationship,” he said. “I like them but they hate me.”

He said selling the changes to Mainers was easy. He and the Republican-controlled Legislature just showed residents the savings.

The new health care regulations will allow out-of-state insurers to sell plans here. It also establishes a high-risk pool for sicker individuals. Proponents say the high-risk pool participants won’t pay more for health insurance.

Opponents note that all Mainers will subsidize the high-risk pool because they’ll pay a $4 fee. Democrats have labeled that fee a tax.

LePage said the new regulations will show the rest of the country that the “private sector, if left alone, can come up with some good, market-based solutions.”

smistler@sunjournal.com

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