EDITORIAL: Medicaid expansion should be top priority as legislators get back to work
Lawmakers who failed to override a veto from Gov.
By expanding Medicaid,
As Republican strategist
Plus, there are many humanitarian reasons that should motivate lawmakers to fund the expansion law. With health insurance, 80,000 more Mainers can access preventative care, vaccinations, addiction treatment, counseling and other needed care. Currently, many people without insurance put off doctor's visits until illnesses or injuries become so bad they threaten their work and well-being. When they do seek care, it is more expensive. The cost of that expensive care is borne by hospitals and those with insurance as rates are raised to cover the cost of caring for the uninsured. In fact, a recent analysis found that private insurance premiums were about 7 percent lower in states that had expanded Medicaid compared to those that had not.
Medicaid expansion will also put
It will also help the state's economy as billions of federal dollars flow into the state, creating 6,000 new jobs, according to a report by Elizabeth Kilbreth of the
Thirty-one states have expanded Medicaid. Governors in these states, many of whom are Republican, would not have expanded Medicaid -- and continued to support expansion -- if it caused state budget crises, tax increases, hospital debt or reduced care for the elderly and disabled, all false claims made by
Here's an assessment from
Yes, there are other things that also need state funding but legislating is always about prioritizing. Mainers have said extending health insurance to their friends, co-workers and neighbors who don't have it is their priority.
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