SENATE REPUBLICANS REFUSE TO PAY HOSPITALS, DENY HEALTHCARE TO 70,000 MAINERS
Uphold Governor’s veto of historic measure passed last week
AUGUSTA—All 15 Senate Republicans stood with Governor Paul LePage and sustained his veto of a historic measure passed last week to repay Maine’s hospital debt, renegotiate Maine’s liquor contract, and accept federal funds to provide health insurance for 70,000 low-income Mainers.
“By failing to override this veto, my colleagues voted against paying back Maine’s hospitals, and against providing healthcare for 70,000 Mainers,” said Senate Majority Leader Seth Goodall, D-Richmond. “Yet their vote will not slow us down. Democrats are committed to repaying Maine’s hospitals and providing healthcare for 70,000 Mainers, and we will continue working to do so.”
Despite advocating throughout the legislative session for the state to pay its debt to Maine’s hospitals, LePage immediately vetoed the bill on Thursday.
This measure would have made the final payment to Maine hospitals totalling $485 million in state and federal dollars. Maine hospitals would also have received an additional $163 million a year in federal dollars for treating newly insured Maine residents and would have saved money on their charity care costs.
According to the Maine Hospital Association, both bad debt and charity care cost $450 million last year, an increase of $32 million from the previous year.
“The governor got the liquor contract he wanted, he got the hospitals paid back, and he still wouldn’t sign the bill,” said Assistant Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson, D-Allagash. “He has a TV that says ‘what’s the hold up?’ Today, the governor is the hold up.”
Nearly 70,000 Maine people can receive healthcare coverage if Maine accepts the federal government’s offer: the federal government has agreed to pay 100% of the cost for covering all newly eligible people for the first three years, and then gradually lowering its payment to no less than 90 percent of the cost by 2020.
Another bill, LD 1066, would also accept federal funds to increase health care coverage. The Health and Human Services Committee is expected to vote on the measure tomorrow.
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