CARIBOU, Maine — Advocates for universal healthcare convened at U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ Caribou office Monday to make sure she still opposes the American Health Care Act, which they say will severely cut Medicaid and leave well over 116,000 Mainers without coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
Republicans introduced and passed the legislation in the House in May to repeal and replace major portions of the Affordable Care Act enacted under former President Barack Obama.
Phil Bosse, Collins’ state office representative, told protesters Monday that the senator has been vocal in her opposition to AHCA as proposed, and that she had recently made appearances on national television to express that stance.
Those who stopped by the senator’s Caribou office did so as a result of a press release authored by Marc Malon of Organizing for Action, a statewide advocacy organization.
In the release, Malon wrote that he is particularly concerned about 13 senators working in private to create a revision of the AHCA.
Bethany Zell, of Cary Medical Center in Caribou and Pink Aroostook, stopped by along with Malon and two others to “make sure Collins’ still has a say” after the aforementioned senators make their changes.
“I know Senator Collins has worked hard to make sure people in Maine are getting coverage,” Zell said. “I just hope that, with what’s happening behind closed doors, she still has a voice in that, and that people in Maine won’t lose coverage.”
Bosse pointed out that Collins and fellow Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana have collaborated to introduce the Cassidy-Collins Patient Freedom Act of 2017. That measure would give states more freedom in terms of healthcare, and the choice to stay with the ACA, adopt a market-based health insurance system, or design their own health insurance system.
Malon said he was concerned that the resulting AHCA bill could negatively impact rural Mainers.
“There is a report in Washington that the bill coming out of 13 secret senators will contain 80 percent of [what was initially proposed for] the AHCA, but what’s 80 percent of 23 million losing their coverage?” Malon said. “That would still hammer rural areas with a larger senior population. That’s Maine, not just Aroostook County, but the whole state. It would be devastating.”
Malon added that “medical facilities here would have to change how they do things, forcing people to drive further for health care, and result in a loss of jobs. So we want to urge Collins to do the right thing.”
Alice Bolstridge also attended with her daughter Shelly Mountain, who works with the Maine Democratic Party.
“I don’t agree with excluding anybody,” Bolstridge said. “Every chance I get, I am here to advocate universal single payer healthcare along with expanded improved Medicare for all. Health experts say Medicare is one of the best types of insurance for consumers.”
Mountain said she was concerned that, with the AHCA potentially allowing states to opt out of the Affordable Care Act, many Mainers would likely lose coverage.
“Our governor right now won’t even expand Medicaid,” said Mountain, “so I’m certain would opt out of Obamacare. For years, before the Affordable Care Act, I didn’t have insurance. It’s the only way I can have insurance.”
Mountain said the newly proposed bill would be more expensive for older people or people with pre-existing conditions “if they can get insurance at all.”
“The only people who might benefit are younger, healthier people who probably won’t get insurance anyway, because they don’t feel like they need it,” Mountain said. “A single-payer system is driven by the best care and recognizes that preventative care is the best way to keep costs down, something that private insurance companies discourage.”
