Question 1 on the ballot this November will read as follows:
“Do you want to create the Universal Home Care Program to provide home-based assistance to people with disabilities and senior citizens, regardless of income, funded by a new 3.8% tax on individuals and families with Maine wage and adjusted gross income above the amount subject to Social Security taxes, which is $128,400 in 2018?”
This language, however, doesn’t begin to describe what is buried in the proposed legislation. In fact, Question 1 includes provisions entirely unrelated to improving care for older and disabled adults — and in some cases with dangerous impact on patient privacy, representative government and the freedom of independent home care workers.
Maine voters won’t know this just by reading the ballot question. So on behalf of the tens of thousands of Maine people and small businesses opposed to Question 1, we want to ensure readers have the full story.
