It is difficult to imagine being a veteran in this country and not being able to afford health care.

For Tom Ptacek, a U.S. Navy veteran who now works and lives in Portland, it will become a reality this winter. Unfortunately, 2,700 veterans like Tom, and tens of thousands of other Mainers, will have to face a winter in Maine without health care. That is because Gov. Paul LePage and too many Republican lawmakers turned away full federal funding to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

While our neighbors in New England and other states around the country are reaping the benefits of those federal dollars, Mainers are losing out.

A recent AP report in this newspaper on Aug. 5 rightly noted that while many states are gearing up to enroll more residents in Medicaid starting in January, thousands of Maine people will actually lose coverage because of the governor’s poor choice.

More than 15,000 low-income parents are expected to lose Medicaid coverage in January when changes to the state’s Medicaid program kick in. An additional 10,500 adults who make less than $11,500 and don’t have dependent children are also facing the end of their coverage. Plus, tens of thousands of other hard-working Mainers in low-wage jobs without health care benefits could have gained coverage if not for the governor.

Patty Kidder and her husband, Roger, were among those hoping and relying on expanded Medicaid. The Kidders, both 54, are on the waiting list for health care. Since Roger lost his job in 2009, the couple has been living off Patty’s part-time income. But it is not enough to afford health care and Roger’s serious health issues have them worried each day about when his next trip to the emergency room will be. I had the privilege of meeting Patty at the State House earlier this year when she told her story to lawmakers.

The compelling stories of Patty and Tom and so many Mainers like them are part of what prompted lawmakers to pass a bipartisan compromise to accept federal health care dollars. But the governor vetoed the measure and lawmakers fell a few votes short of overturning that veto.

The loss of this life-saving bill was terrible for the people of Maine, but we came further than we ever expected. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were convinced by strong arguments that accepting these federal health care dollars was not just the right thing to do, but it also made good economic sense for our state.

If the measure had passed, the federal government would be injecting an additional $250 million into the state’s economy and we would be seeing the creation of more than 3,100 jobs, approximately half in the health care field, according to the Maine Center for Economic Policy. It could have prevented the current layoffs we are seeing at hospitals by providing more patients to hospitals seeing a drop-off in patients.

With Maine lagging behind the rest of the country in job growth, this investment would have given a much needed boost.

Plus, by accepting these federal dollars, the state of Maine could save $690 million over the course of 10 years, according to the conservative Heritage Foundation. Acceptance of the federal government’s offer would reduce charity care that increases health care costs for consumers with private insurance.

The fight for affordable health care is not over. Next year, I hope to work with both my Democratic and Republican colleagues to again pass this measure. Gov. LePage has said he wants to work with the Legislature to move Maine forward. This is one way he can do it.

The public must reach out to Republican lawmakers and the governor’s office to voice support for accepting those federal dollars. It is not too late. Make your voice heard.

Mark Eves of North Berwick is speaker of the Maine House.

Copy the Story Link