The Maine Wire
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
    • Contact
  • Investigations
    • Data
  • Donate
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending News
  • Feds Charge Seven Chinese Nationals in Bay State Drug, Money Laundering, Smuggling Scheme
  • Lewiston Police Arrest Man for Possession of Sexually Explicit Material of a Child Under 12
  • Anti-ICE Activists Charged in Alleged Plot to Ambush Federal Officers, Shooting a Police Officer
  • Maine Supreme Court Reviewing Shenna Bellows’ Wording of Voter ID Referendum Question
  • Trump Strikes a Blow to Climate Agenda With Order Ending Subsidies for Solar, Wind, and Other ‘Renewables’
  • Murder Rap Catches Up to Maryland Fugitive Hiding in Auburn, Maine: U.S. Marshals
  • Laurel Libby’s Lawsuit Against Maine Speaker of the House Declared Moot After Her Rights Were Restored
  • Marine Patrol, Coast Guard Search for Missing Augusta Man Who Tried to Rescue His Dog in the Kennebec River
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Maine Wire
Wednesday, July 9
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
    • Contact
  • Investigations
    • Data
  • Donate
The Maine Wire
Home » News » News » Taxpayers should not pay to give ‘free’ healthcare for able-bodied adults
News

Taxpayers should not pay to give ‘free’ healthcare for able-bodied adults

Paul LePageBy Paul LePageOctober 11, 2017Updated:October 12, 2017No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Special-interest groups are using the ballot box to push initiatives that are bad for Maine.

For seven years, I have been leading the charge to change the status quo in Augusta. But the Legislature won’t make the tough decisions that are needed to move Maine from poverty to prosperity.

This opens the door for socialists to push their agenda through the ballot box. These citizen referendums punish success, encourage professionals to leave Maine and burden our taxpayers with runaway costs.

In the last round of referendums, the socialists at the Maine People’s Alliance tried to tax successful people and hurt small family businesses. They also tried to take away tips from servers in restaurants.

Now they want Maine taxpayers to give free healthcare to able-bodied people who should be working and contributing to the cost of their own healthcare. In Question 2, these socialists are trying to expand Medicaid again.

Medicaid is a $2.65 billion program that accounts for more than one third of all state spending and nearly one quarter of Maine’s General Fund.

Before I became Governor, massive Medicaid shortfalls derailed the state budget every year. But my administration eliminated those shortfalls and put Medicaid back on sound financial footing.

We removed most able-bodied adults from the Medicaid rolls and encouraged them to work and contribute to the cost of their healthcare. If they have a job, they can qualify for insurance on the exchange or get insurance through their employer.

Expanding Medicaid to give them “free” healthcare removes this incentive to work. As I always say, “free” is very expensive to somebody. Maine learned this the hard way when it expanded Medicaid in 2002 under then-governor King.

Medicaid expansion did not decrease the number of uninsured Mainers. It did not reduce emergency-room utilization. Instead, it nearly destroyed the state budget and created a $750 million debt to our hospitals. To pay for this “free” healthcare, Maine took money away from our nursing homes, and it put vulnerable people on waitlists for services they need.

My administration finally paid off the hospitals, and we fixed our Medicaid system—without raising taxes. This time around, Medicaid expansion will cost Maine taxpayers an additional $500 million over the next five years. Once again, it will create massive budget shortfalls every year.

Maine should not expand Medicaid for adults who are capable of working. We should continue to direct our limited resources toward the truly needy: the elderly; low-income people; and those with intellectual and physical disabilities.

We must stay on our fiscally responsible path. We cannot let socialists use big money from out of state to reverse all of the progress we have made.

Before you vote in November, please educate yourself about the disastrous effects Medicaid expansion will have on Maine.

Affordable Care Act Commentary Featured MaineCare Medicaid Medicaid expansion Obamacare Opinion
Previous ArticleVoters need to weigh the consequences of Medicaid expansion
Next Article The new Ranked-Choice Voting bill is still unconstitutional
Paul LePage

Governor Paul LePage (R) served as the 74th Governor of Maine. Prior to his time as governor, LePage served as the general manager of Marden's and as the mayor of Waterville.

Subscribe to Substack

Related Posts

Feds Charge Seven Chinese Nationals in Bay State Drug, Money Laundering, Smuggling Scheme

July 8, 2025

Lewiston Police Arrest Man for Possession of Sexually Explicit Material of a Child Under 12

July 8, 2025

Anti-ICE Activists Charged in Alleged Plot to Ambush Federal Officers, Shooting a Police Officer

July 8, 2025

Leave A Reply

Subscribe to Substack
Recent News

Feds Charge Seven Chinese Nationals in Bay State Drug, Money Laundering, Smuggling Scheme

July 8, 2025

Lewiston Police Arrest Man for Possession of Sexually Explicit Material of a Child Under 12

July 8, 2025

Anti-ICE Activists Charged in Alleged Plot to Ambush Federal Officers, Shooting a Police Officer

July 8, 2025

Maine Supreme Court Reviewing Shenna Bellows’ Wording of Voter ID Referendum Question

July 8, 2025

Trump Strikes a Blow to Climate Agenda With Order Ending Subsidies for Solar, Wind, and Other ‘Renewables’

July 8, 2025
Newsletter

News

  • News
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Opinion & Commentary
  • Media Watch
  • Education
  • Media

Maine Wire

  • About the Maine Wire
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Commentary
  • Complaints
  • Maine Policy Institute

Resources

  • Maine Legislature
  • Legislation Finder
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Maine Wire TV

Facebook Twitter Instagram Steam RSS
  • Post Office Box 7829, Portland, Maine 04112

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.