Over $400,000 of Soros money helped put the Universal Home Care initiative on Maine’s ballot in November. Question 1 proposes three new taxes to fund a Universal Home Care program. The commissioner of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services detailed the negative economic impact of the proposal in an article in the Bangor Daily News on September 10.
This proposal would be financed by the largest tax increase in Maine history ($310 million as determined by the nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Program Review). The new taxes would disproportionately penalize married couples.
Mainers would lose up to $2 billion in personal income from 2019 to 2023, and the state’s population and labor force would see significant declines relative to baseline forecasts.
The proposal would create a massive new unaccountable bureaucracy that would require bureaucrats to share private medical information with outside groups, violating federal medical privacy laws. Independent providers, including family members, would be required to become state employees.
The current shortage of health care workers would be compounded as people of all income levels would be entitled to these benefits. No residency requirement means people could move here from out of state and immediately use these “free” services. This would result in seniors and disabled people being put on waitlists for services.
It is hard to imagine anyone knowing these facts and still supporting such a destructive policy. There is so much the proponents of the plan would prefer to keep secret that none of the four candidates for governor will even touch Question 1. The Maine Heritage Policy Center is committed to educating the public about the devastating impact this proposal would have on our economy and home health industry.
MHPC is conducting a comprehensive research report on the economic impacts of the proposal, which we will release to the public at a press conference at the State House in Augusta at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018.
We are hosting two Prosperity Luncheons featuring Jacob Posik, policy analyst and primary author of the report. These policy luncheons are scheduled on Wednesday, October 24 at noon at the Bangor Hilton Garden Inn and on Thursday, October 25 at noon at DiMillo’s On the Water in Portland. Additionally, our team will be hosting a Happy Hour in Waterville on Wednesday, October 24 to connect with students and young professionals in the area and further discuss the impact of this outlandish proposal.
We encourage all members of the public to attend these discussions to learn about the specific implications of the proposal. It is incumbent on us all to educate our friends and neighbors on the disastrous consequences we could be facing.
