The Times Record in Maine ~ Medicaid Expansion opinion

My letter to the editor ~ Thank you to The Times Record in Brunswick and Mid Coast Maine for publishing my letter to the editor in support of the voters who approved the Medicaid Expansion* in November 2017, by ballot initiative.

LETTERS

Time for LePage to Comply with Will of the Voters

Maine voters approved the expansion of Medicaid with a 58.9 percent approval in the November 2017 election, but the Maine Department of Health and Human Services must provide a plan to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to begin offering this coverage to the qualified beneficiaries. Moreover, in the past, Maine’s legislature has five times passed the Medicaid expansion as provided under the Affordable Care Act, but Gov. LePage used his veto power to prevent the bills from becoming law. There are at least 70,000 Mainers who are qualified for the expanded Medicaid expansion coverage.

It’s time for the Maine DHHS and LePage to comply with the will of Maine’s citizens and submit the necessary plan to the CMS for approval, by early April. This submission is necessary before the coverage can be offered. Compliance with the will of the voters could make the Medicaid expansion possible, as soon as July 2018, but only if the necessary requirements are sent by the Maine DHHS for approval. Maine Providers Standing Up for Healthcare is a grass roots organization working with the Maine Equal Justice Partners and other advocacy groups, to ask the Maine DHHS to comply with the will of our citizens, and submit the request to CMS for the expansion, so as to cover those who qualify, as soon as possible.

Juliana L’Heureux,
Topsham

*One of the most important--and popular--provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the expansion of health coverage to low-income families through the Medicaid program. In the 33 states (including D.C.) that expanded Medicaid, many of those who benefit are hard-working people in low-wage jobs that do not offer health insurance—like waiters and waitresses, sales clerks, cooks, and home health aides