“Health care should be a universal right. We shouldn’t have to Worry that our ability to afford care was sacri ced on the altar of tax cuts for the wealthy. I am one missed day of medicine away from death. I shouldn’t have to choose between paying for food and shelter or paying for increases in my health care premiums nor should anyone else.”
– Testimony by Marie Pineo, MPA Board and Mainers for Healthcare Leadership Team

What is the bill

This bill would have provided administrative funding for Medicaid expansion, passed overwhelmingly by voters last fall, so that DHHS could have hired 100+ employees after years of Gov. LePage slashing DHHS budgets.

Why it matters

Healthcare is a human right. Too many Mainers are making the impossible choice between paying for life-saving medications and keeping the lights on or putting food on the table. When Medicaid expansion passed last November with nearly 60% of the vote, it was clear that Mainers want more healthcare, not less. Republican legislators in the House refusing to override Gov. LePage’s veto of this modest funding is another example of intentionally thwarting the will of the voters.

What happened

DEAD: Gov. LePage vetoed this bill, and his veto was sustained. However, Medicaid Expansion is still very much the law, and as of July of this year, 70,000+ Mainers are eligible for healthcare, thanks to voters.