Accepting federal health care dollars
makes sense
By Rep. Bob Saucier
(D-Presque Isle)
One of the most crucial roles our government is to provide support to people who are in grave circumstances through no fault of their own. If your house burns down or a recession causes you to be laid-off, it makes sense that there should be a safety net available until you can get back on your feet. The same principle applies to a friend or neighbor who gets sick.
They should be able to get the care they need, when they need it, without facing crushing medical bills.
This is why I am proud to have supported the Democratic plan to accept federal dollars that were set aside for Maine under the Affordable Care Act to provide insurance for 70,000 working Mainers. By extending access to health care, we uphold our responsibility to protect people who face dire circumstances. Fewer Mainers will live in fear that their next broken bone or illness will spell financial collapse. More people will be able to focus on their career and family instead of being preoccupied by trying to avoid sickness or pay huge medical bills.
Under this plan, families of three with an earning between $19,530 and $26,951 and individuals earning less than $15,856 would receive insurance. Most of the people who would receive insurance under this proposal work full time or nearly full time. They are working their way into the middle class. This proposal would ensure that sickness wouldn’t cause them to regress into poverty. We should seize this unique opportunity to offer health care to more Maine people, including 3500 working Mainers right here in Aroostook County.
This expansion of access to health care will not cost Maine any money. If the federal government reneges on its promise to fully pay 100 percent of the costs, we automatically opt-out of receiving funds. Additionally, after three years the health care services will be examined and audited by independent analysts. If problems are found in this analysis we can reject the federal dollars with no penalty.
The Democratic plan also takes the responsible step of making a final payment on debt owed to Maine hospitals. We will use revenue gained from the lease of the rights to sell liquor in Maine and drawing down $298 million in federal matching funds. The Legislature has been steadily paying off this debt over the last decade, and I am proud that we will be completing payment of this debt.
We have separated hospital payment and the acceptance of federal dollars into two separate bills to address the concerns of our Republican colleagues. Despite this change, we still see the two issues as linked. When Mainers can get the care they need, they will be more likely to seek treatment early before they become expensive. We will be taking a proactive step towards preventing our state from accruing medical debt in the future.
Paying the hospitals and providing insurance to 70,000 Mainers makes sense. I hope you will join me in calling on lawmakers and the governor to do the right thing by accepting these funds.
As always, I hope you will feel free to reach out to me with questions or concerns. I can be reached at 207-227-1160 or saucierforpi@gmail.com.
