Medicaid Expansion in Maine- Question 2, 2017

"Do you want Maine to provide health insurance through Medicaid for qualified adults under the age of 65 with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty line?"

Ballot Question 2

Although Maine citizens have supported the Medicaid Expansion, efforts to access this level of health care coverage to cover more elderly, people with chronic mental illness and the poor , legislative efforts have repeatedly been vetoed by the state's Governor Paul LePage.  Consequently, a "citizens initiative" has successfully put this issue on the November 2017 ballot.  Wikipedia has provided a succinct summary of this important campaign to support the Medicaid Expansion:

Maine Question 2, formally titled "An Act To Enhance Access to Affordable Health Care", is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that has qualified for the November 7, 2017 statewide ballot. 

It seeks to expand Medicaid eligibility under the terms of the Affordable Care Act, something which has been vetoed six times by Maine Gov. Paul LePage.

Expanded eligibility for the Medicaid program, called MaineCare in Maine, was a provision of the Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.

The expansion was originally required of states as a condition of all federal Medicaid funding, but the United States Supreme Court ruled in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius that such expansion was optional for states.[3]

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage has long been critical of the eligibility requirements for MaineCare, feeling that it was too easy to qualify for as it existed when he took office in 2010.[4] He was a staunch opponent of the Affordable Care Act, believing it to be unconstitutional and taking freedom from citizens.[5] LePage vetoed six efforts to expand MaineCare eligibility[6] and on one occasion called efforts by the Maine Legislature to write an expansion bill that would garner bipartisan support as having "no compassion".[7]

Supporters of expansion, led by Maine Equal Justice Partners, announced on October 12, 2016 their intent to launch a petition drive to put the issue to voters in a referendum, which the Governor cannot veto if passed. LePage's spokesperson criticized the effort as "another attempt by liberals to pass welfare expansion".[8]

Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced on February 21, 2017, that supporters of the measure submitted over 66,000 verified signatures, far above the 61,123 required to place a measure on the ballot.

The question that appeared on petition forms was "Do you want Maine to provide health insurance through Medicaid for qualified adults under the age of 65 with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty line?". During the comment period before the question's wording was finalized, several Republican legislators disputed the inclusion of the word "insurance" in the question, stating that in their view MaineCare benefits are not insurance, but welfare benefits. As such, in their view it would not meet the Maine Constitution's requirement that referendum questions be "simple, clear, concise, and direct". They further noted that the word insurance does not appear in the proposed referendum itself. Supporters defended the use of "insurance" as MaineCare does not provide cash to recipients, but pays providers of medical services directly.[9] At the end of the comment period, Secretary Dunlap announced that the final wording of the question would replace the word "insurance" with "coverage". Representatives of both sides of the issue announced their support of the decision.[10]

Jump up^ "Citizens Initiatives & People's Veto". Maine Department of Secretary of State.
Jump up^ Stolberg, Sheryl; Pear, Robert (March 23, 2010). "Obama Signs Health Care Overhaul Bill, With a Flourish". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
Jump up^ "Analysis: U.S. Supreme Court Upholds the Affordable Care Act: Roberts Rules?". The National Law Review. von Briesen & Roper, S.C. June 29, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
Jump up^ "Paul Lepage Profile – Your Vote 2010". Archived from the original on December 31, 2010.MPBN. Retrieved October 28, 2010
Jump up^ "LePage calls Obamacare an expensive stripping away of freedom, says IRS is 'new Gestapo'". Bangor Daily News. July 7, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
^ Jump up to:a b "Medicaid expansion referendum headed to Maine ballot". Bangor Daily News. February 21, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
Jump up^ "LePage blasts Legislature’s tilt toward Medicaid expansion". Kennebec Journal. January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
Jump up^ "Group will launch signature drive for Medicaid expansion in Maine". Portland Press Herald. October 12, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2017.