Maine Falls Behind on Health Care with Gov. LePage

Press Release

A day after U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud released his comprehensive plan to reform health care and improve health in Maine, new data from the Census Bureau shows that the state is one of only two in which the uninsured rate has gone up.

"Gov. LePage is taking Maine backwards. While the rate of people without health insurance is dropping nationally, it's going up in Maine," Michaud said. "Thousands of people in Maine are unable to see a doctor when they need one and are one accident or illness away from catastrophic medical bills. And it's not just people without insurance who are suffering. Every person with health insurance is paying a hidden tax and our hospitals are struggling with an increase in bad debt and charity care. It's time for a change."

According to the Maine Center for Economic Policy, the number of people in Maine without health insurance grew by 12,000 from 2012 to 2013. Nationally, the rate of uninsured fell 0.2 percent.

As Joe Feinglass, a research professor of medicine at the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, writes today in the Bangor Daily News, "Over 40 years of research has documented that the uninsured have fewer doctor visits and fail to receive basic preventive services like blood pressure screening, pap tests, cholesterol testing and influenza vaccinations. As a result, the uninsured are diagnosed at more advanced stages of cancer, especially for cancers detectable by screening. The uninsured are much more likely to have undiagnosed high blood pressure and high cholesterol, more severe strokes and poorer control of diabetes."

In his comprehensive 10-point plan, Michaud proposes practical steps for improving the health of Mainers, reducing costs for small businesses, fighting substance abuse and addiction, and promoting innovation in health care delivery and payment.

The plan includes expanding access to health insurance for 70,000 Mainers, including 3,000 veterans.

The reforms also emphasize the importance of protecting taxpayer dollars, cleaning up a dysfunctional Department of Health and Human Services, which has been mismanaged by Gov. LePage and his administration, and addressing Maine's growing opiate addiction epidemic.

The complete plan can be found here: www.michaud2014.com/healthcare.

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