The LePage administration has stated that the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare will cost the state millions of dollars, yet I hear little about the costs of refusing the millions of dollars from the federal government that pay for the expansion. Each of us fortunate enough to have insurance pays an estimated $1,000 per year to […]
Medicaid
Posted inOur View
Medicaid expansion will save us money
The most compelling argument for expanding Medicaid to cover about 70,000 more people is the simplest. The people are here. They will get sick. When they do, they will receive care they cannot afford. That’s not liberal or conservative; that’s just reality. And that fact leaves only one question: Who will foot that bill? Will […]
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Posted inLocal & State
Analysis: Not all Republicans oppose Medicaid expansion for Maine
AUGUSTA — A handful of Republican lawmakers, if they haven’t already, are about to become the most popular — or, depending on your perspective — among the most reviled legislators in the weeks ahead. “There is a fair amount of pressure coming from both sides,” Rep. Corey Wilson, R-Augusta, said. Wilson, a first-term legislator, is […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Experts: Alexander report on Medicaid expansion could use some expansion
That was supposed to change this week as Gary Alexander delivered his Medicaid expansion feasibility study to the Legislature. Alexander, a former human services chief for Republican governors in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, is the consultant chosen by Gov. Paul LePage’s administration to examine Maine’s Medicaid and welfare programs and recommend money-saving reforms. But as […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
House overturns LePage veto of bill designed to help MaineCare recipients quit smoking
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly overrode Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill designed to reduce tobacco-related illness in Maine, but the House narrowly sustained a budget bill veto that could reduce state revenues by about $7 million between now and mid-2015. LePage last week vetoed LD 386, An […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
In wall of GOP Medicaid expansion opposition, a crack appears
AUGUSTA — The House’s top Democrat on Wednesday morning presented what he called a “compromise” bill to expand Medicaid in the state to roughly 70,000 of the poorest Mainers. It’s the first glimpse at what Democrats, who hold a majority in the Legislature, hope will be a bill that can gain enough Republican support to […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine House speaker offers ‘compromise’ Medicaid expansion bill
AUGUSTA — The House’s top Democrat on Wednesday morning presented what he called a “compromise” bill to expand Medicaid in the state to roughly 70,000 of the poorest Mainers. It’s the first glimpse at what Democrats, who hold a majority in the Legislature, hope will be a bill that can gain enough Republican support to […]
Posted inLocal & State
HHS committee grills author of Medicaid report
AUGUSTA – State lawmakers Tuesday picked apart the first portion of a nearly $1 million report on Maine’s welfare programs that’s being completed by a private company hired by the administration of Republican Gov. Paul LePage. While Republican lawmakers on the Legislature’s Health and Human Service Committee were largely complimentary of the work being done […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Robert Reed: A different road to take toward health insurance
As a conservative, I am deeply concerned by the continued spending habits at all levels of government, including the large expenditure required for MaineCare programs, and the increasing reliance on government assistance by more people here in Maine. At the same time, I am also a realist who believes in analysis and facts to make […]
Posted inLocal & State
Consultant says expanding Medicaid in Maine could cost $807 million
AUGUSTA — A consultant’s report that shows expanding Medicaid in Maine could cost the state $807 million over 10 years renders the proposal unaffordable, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew said Friday. The long-awaited report’s findings were presented at a news conference by Mayhew and Gary Alexander, the author of the report […]