NEW REPORT SHOWS REFUSAL TO EXPAND MEDICAID WILL HURT MAINERS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
21,000 Mainers Will be Without Mental Health Care If State Blocks Federal Health Dollars
AUGUSTA — Maine people suffering from mental illness will lose out on access to health care if Governor Paul LePage and his allies in the Legislature refuse to accept a Republican-led proposal to cover 70,000 Maine people, including nearly 3,000 veterans.
If the compromise measure does not pass, 21,000 Maine people with mental illness and substance abuse conditions will lose out on health coverage, according to a new report from the American Health Counselors Association.
“The struggle of mental illness is hard enough without having to worry about how you’ll pay for your medicine or hold down a job,” said Senator Troy Jackson of Allagash. “We have an opportunity to do right by our citizens and we shouldn’t pass it up because of politics.”
Governor LePage previously expressed support for addressing mental illness in letters to Vice President Biden and Maine’s congressional delegation following the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Governor LePage wrote, “the problem we face has little to do with firearm ownership and nearly everything to do with mental health issues.”
However, Governor LePage issued a curtailment order in December 2012 to reduce spending on mental health services by $1.8 million, and proposed a $1.2 million cut in mental health crisis services. The Governor’s mismanagement also led to the loss of $20 million in federal funding for the Riverview Psychiatric Center and the facility’s decertification.
“As a mental health care professional, I’ve seen first hand how damaging a lack of health care can be for those suffering from mental illness,” said Speaker of the House Mark Eves of North Berwick, a marriage and family therapist by training. “Simply being able to afford your medicine and therapy is vital to maintaining a job and playing a productive role in your community.”
According to the American Health Counselors Association report, 45% of uninsured Mainers with mental health conditions would receive health coverage if Maine expanded Medicaid. This includes people who struggle with substance abuse, have serious mental illness, or are in serious psychological distress.
Lawmakers on the Health and Human Services Committee are expected to vote on a compromise bill that would accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid in the coming days. The measure is expected to save the state $3.4 million in the first year alone, according to the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal office.