Author: Jim Hamper

Like many average Americans, health care and its costs are a significant issue. Imagine you have what is considered “good” health insurance coverage. Now you find yourself at the emergency room and you receive care which includes services by emergency room staff and supporting doctors. You have provided your insurance information and eventually leave believing you are covered. Sometime months later, you receive a bill for services not covered by your insurance. In another scenario, you have to undergo a recommended procedure shortly before you go in for scheduled surgery. You receive a call indicating your insurance will not cover…

A few weeks ago, my radio address focused on the unsustainability of the biennial budget proposed by Governor Mills. Since my last address, Governor Mills has spent $10.5 million out of the Budget Stabilization Fund, or as I like to refer to it as the savings account, with another $3.5 million transfer on the horizon. These transfers are to fill holes in the Maine Department of Health and Human Service’s budget, created by the decertification of Riverview Psychiatric Center, this in spite of a large budget surplus in the State’s checking account that could easily cover these shortfalls. In the…

When I first started serving in Augusta, in 2005, there was a long standing joke. Why are there no stone walls in Augusta? Because they have all been turned over, looking for money. The word that I would use to describe Governor Mills’ recently-released biennial budget is “unsustainable”. I’m very concerned that her $8 billion dollar spending proposal will send us directly back to the days of budget shortfalls and the continued search for more money to fund the programs that have been expanded. In her State of the Budget speech, Governor Mills said that, “This budget is pro-growth,” and…