Statement on Supreme Court Decision Not to Take up MaineCare Case

Statement

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree issued the following statement after the U.S.Supreme Court refused to take up a case brought by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Last year a federal appeals court ruled that the LePage Administration was not allowed to drop thousands of 19 and 20 year olds from MaineCare (Maine's version of Medicaid). The Appeals Court ruled that dropping those young people violated the "maintenance of effort" provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that required states to maintain the same eligibility standards for Medicaid coverage that they did before the ACA was signed into law.

"This is a victory for 6,500 young people in Maine who would have lost access to health care if these cuts were allowed to go forward," Pingree said. "Those of us who fought for the ACA were fighting for increased access to health care, and kicking people off Medicaid is the exact opposite of what that law is intended to do. I'm glad the Supreme Court refused to take up the case and that the uncertainty caused by this long legal battle has finally ended for the young people who would be impacted."

Pingree has repeatedly urged the Obama Administration to deny a waiver sought by the LePage Administration to drop the 19- and 20-year-olds from Medicaid. The Obama Administration denied the waiver and the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last November that the decision to deny the waiver was legal.

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