Gov. Paul LePage speaks at aa Auburn town hall in 2015, LePage said he would not act to implement Medicaid expansion until it was fully funded by the Legislature. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) AUGUSTA – Gov. Paul LePage issued a defiant statement Wednesday following overwhelming approval by voters of a ballot initiative to expand the state’s […]
q2017 medicaid
Question 2: Maine voters approve Medicaid expansion
A measure to expand Medicaid in Maine, which would give about 70,000 people health care coverage, was approved by voters Tuesday night, making the state the first in the nation to approve Medicaid expansion at the ballot box. With more than 60 percent of Maine precincts reporting, the measure was favored by 59 percent of […]
Expanding Medicaid a hot issue on Tuesday's ballot
If the Medicaid expansion referendum on Tuesday’s ballot is approved by voters, at least 70,000 low-income Mainers would likely enroll in the federal program to secure health care coverage that many of them lack. For proponents, Question 2 is a way to boost the economy and save lives, paid for mostly by the federal government, […]
Maine Medicaid expansion vote seen as ‘Obamacare’ referendum
PORTLAND (AP) — The roiling national debate over the government’s proper role in health care is coming to a head in a state more commonly known for moose, lobster and L.L. Bean. On Nov. 7, voters in Maine will decide whether to join 31 other states and expand Medicaid under former President Barack Obama’s Affordable […]
Business groups split on Medicaid expansion referendum
Business groups in Maine have sharply diverging positions on the Nov. 7 referendum to expand Medicaid, with some viewing it as a source of economic benefits and others as a precursor to a tax increase. Still others are undecided. The contrasting views were apparent Tuesday when the Maine Small Business Coalition, which claims to have […]
Dunlap avoids political spat over wording of Medicaid ballot question
AUGUSTA — Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap dodged a political dust-up Thursday about the wording of a referendum on whether to expand Medicaid in Maine. The proposed wording of the question initially referred to Medicaid as “health insurance,” a description that raised ire among conservatives who insisted it is more fair to call it welfare […]