Mainers from all economic classes should be grateful to the legislators who toiled for untold hours and summoned a spirit of public service and compromise for a greater good to reach a deal on the Health and Human Services budget.
There’s no telling how Gov. Paul LePage will respond; if he is wise, he will thank legislators for their work. If he is convinced that structural problems remain in the department’s budget, he must work to explain them to legislators and the public and craft a plan to fix them.
He is too prone to falling back into ideological mode, railing about the cost of the too-generous “welfare” programs. The MaineCare programs that were at the heart of the budget shortfall are, in fact, federally funded, state-matched health insurances.
Here’s a truth that should not be up for debate: The more people covered by health insurance, the lower the collective cost of care. Uninsured people wait too long to see health care practitioners when they are ill, do not learn about preventive care and health maintenance through regular well-visits, and when they do fall ill, they often get costly care at hospital emergency departments or find themselves with far more serious problems than if they had sought attention earlier.
If Americans could reach a consensus on how to pay for a national health care plan — essentially, extending Medicare to all — and see past the fear-mongering about socialism from opponents, many of these problems would disappear.
But that’s a debate for another time and place.
In Augusta now, there were and are decisions that need to be made about the level of care the state can afford to provide. Reasonable people can argue reasonably about where to draw the line on such spending, and members of the Appropriations Committee have done just that.
The budget compromise rolls back eligibility for adults with children from 200 percent of the federal poverty level to 133 percent. The higher threshold was established over 10 years ago, when state coffers were flush with cash. The compromise also caps spending through June 30 for childless adults at $40 million. To achieve that, no new enrollments will be allowed. People are expected to fall off the rolls, as many as 500 a month, as their income improves or they die. Services are likely to be managed with an eye to frugality.
Democrats were reluctant to push the childless adults, known in DHHS parlance as noncategoricals, off the health care rolls. Though the governor portrays them as able-bodied and young, many face serious health challenges such as diabetes and cancer.
Democrats also believe the governor created the budget problem by underfunding the department. Many top-level DHHS officials who knew how to manage the complex federal-state programs were fired, Democrats say, leaving neophytes in charge.
The minority party ought not to dwell on such recriminations and instead focus on being players in the debate that will ensue next year, when an $80 million gap looms. The tax cuts Gov. LePage and Republican legislative leaders touted must be reconsidered if revenues do not rebound in the coming months. Democrats can spur this discussion.
Legislative Republicans deserve praise for tuning out their governor and working toward a compromise. They walked a difficult political path, but one that represents true leadership and service.
The governor will rail about gimmicks and half-measures, but the compromise represents a balance between necessary frugality and appropriate compassion. The governor has the opportunity to play Solomon; he can threaten to cut the baby in half but stop short of doing so, or he can swing his axe and kill the compromise. There’s only one right move.
“Here’s a truth that should not be up for debate: The more people covered by health insurance, the lower the collective cost of care.”
That statement most certainly is up for debate – look at Massachusetts – Now that everyone is forced to be covered, utilization has gone way up, and with it health insurance premiums which are now the highest in the country. Where does the BDN come up with this stuff? Oh wait, I know.
Yes, it makes sense that more people seek care if they are covered; that’s the editorial’s point, they get care now at less cost. You’d rather they wait until they’re deathly ill and have to be admitted into hospital?
And furthermore, the paragraph that follows recommends single-payer, so there would be no health insurance companies to raise premiums (and stash profits for… what exactly?). I’d rather that portion of GDP being sucked up by insurance companies go to other economic activity.
Oh heck Tom that’s terrible asking Representative McKane if he wants people to wait until they are deathly ill before they seek health care. We all know he would rather they didn’t seek healthcare at all and just die. Can’t have sick people waisting those precious tax dollars that only the radical right pays you know.
Is health care in Mass. the moste xpensive? That would be an interesting fact, if true. Do you have a source?
“Here’s a truth that should not be up for debate: The more people covered by health insurance, the lower the collective cost of care.”
Then the rate in Maine should be one of the lowest in the country, seeing as we have more generous coverage than most states in the country.
We have the oldest population in the country, and poor health (tobacco use, obesity, etc.).
We have the oldest population because we don’t have enough decent paying jobs to retain our youth. But that is another problem isn’t it.
I am near 65 yrs old and can remember a time when almost nobody had health insurance and healthcare was a whole lot more affordable than it is now.
We would be way better off if nobody had any health insurance, than it would be a supply and demand system.
Just out of curiousity where do you think Eastern Maine Healthcare systems gets the money to pay a seven figure salary to it’s CEO and the millions of dollars to keep the building projects under construction that never cease?
Private health insurance is a bad enough scam, government provided health insurance is unspeakable.
countryboy8 Good point ! Back in the day, Docs used to make house-calls. Imagine how much more coat effective it would be….
And life expectancy in 1940 was 60,8 years. It is now 76+. Countryboy8 has improved his chances by 16+ years. No accident.
I think if you will find that the insurance executives make just a tad more money than actual health providers.
But you aren’t denying the fact that hospitals are also robbing the system?
I guess you only wish to address one piece of the problem with medical coverage.
When almost every person in the hospital that gives care to you the patient and has to be covered by medical malpractice insurance just to bring you care. When they are obligated by law to care for those who show up at their emergency room with or without the ability to pay. When they are still expected to function and pay their bills on time, cover the salaries of all the people that make these various hopitals function.
NO, it doesn’t seem to me they are robbing any system.
The insurance industry, who spends untold millions buying and selling politicians to write laws that favor their business. Who during the Clinton push for a national health care system, while crying poverty, almost instantly came up with $350,000,000.00 to run a campaign against any change to their golden goose. When they stop denying people who have paid for coverage. When they are willing to cover every citizen of this country that comes up with the costs of coverage.
Maybe then I will look toward the hospitals for blame.
The insurance business is one of profit, just like the medical business and the legal business. They should have a right to pick customers that will make them a profit the same as heart surgeons will pick the patients they will provide services to.
Please don’t claim that specialist take on every charity case that comes their way and it isn’t all about the money with them the same as it is with the lawyers and the insurance agents. You’ll be lying and you know it.
I have often heard of hospitals, Dr’s, surgeons, providing health care without being paid. I have heard of and known lawyers doing pro-bono work. Can you name one inusrance company that has provided health insurance pro-bono? Can you name one insurance company that actually provides health care?
I think it would be a surprise to you if EMMC released salaries of administrative and executive personnel. It’s easy to blame the insurance companies for all of our woes, we are programmed to blame them but in reality, EMMC and others like it are programmed to chase as many of the health care dollars that are out there to chase. There’s one big pot of gold and they want their share and then some.
Ok, then the next time you need medical care, check yourself into the nearest Insurance Co. headquarters. Every one of their executives has probably got a degree in business.
The governor would not be doing a good thing to sign this compromise. He would be doing what has been done for the past 4 years, at least. He will be pushing the problem off to the next budget, hoping that it will go away, but knowing it won’t. He would be acting irresponsibly.
So the legislature reached a bipartisan compromise. Big deal. Having the label bipartisan does not mean it is a good deal for the people of Maine. So let’s hear the details. Where is the proof that this is a good deal?
He pushed it forward last year when he underfunded DHHS to give large tax breaks to the rich. He created this crisis. The Appropriations Committee did an awesome job considering they had no or made-up numbers to work with and had to deal with a bully sticking his nose into their branch of government where it doesn’t belong. It will be a happy day when he’s either impeached or retired to his Florida home. I’m hoping the prior comes first. I can’t imagine the mess this state will be in if he’s here 3 more years.
Here’s a truth that should not be up for debate: The more people covered by health insurance, the lower the collective cost of care. Uninsured people wait too long to see health care practitioners when they are ill, do not learn about preventive care and health maintenance through regular well-visits, and when they do fall ill, they often get costly care at hospital emergency departments or find themselves with far more serious problems than if they had sought attention earlier.
I beg to differ. Point to the concrete evidence of this proof. I understand it is the prevailing hypothesis, but it is far from proven. We continue to spend more and more on health care, and we are told if only we fund it a bit more, we will be saving millions! It’s the magical medical mystery tour….baffling.
Pore over documents, not “pour” over documents Good grief!
Tom Groening is avidly advocating national health insurance, showing his definite liberal side–notice the reference to the biblical Solomon in the last paragraph, deja-vu for liberals to use such when it is convenient.
Nancy Pelosi stated that “we need to pass this 2000+ bill in order to find out what is in it.” Now, we are finding out, and most Americans do not want the Obama-non-care plan, and as it is mandated piecemeal, we can understand why.
Years ago someone in the Maine Superintendent of Insurance office said, “unfortunately, one does not get a break for staying healthy and not using the insurance one pays for, but he is paying for those who do not have insurance.” That scenario will continue on a higher level with a mandated national healthcare plan, and seniors will be the most affected.
Governor LePage has been in office just over a year, and I am hearing that he should have “fixed” everything from almost 40 years of Democrats being in control. The saying goes that he is “between a rock and a hard place,” but I see that his “party” members are more interested in compromise and this election year than in standing up and speaking out for the right thing to do–“legislative Republicans should be praised…….” Tsk, tsk–keep on keeping on, Republican leadership, since you want to stand with the D’s and their crying out in false allegations. That is why giving to a general Republican event for the “election of Republicans” is not a good idea–giving to a true conservative makes more sense.
The BDN is soooo predictable. If there is a liberal line, they follow it.
Here are the facts. When Gov. Baldacci took office, he knew that he stimulate Maine’s healthcare industry by opening the Mainecare doors to anyone and everyone. 2:1 federal match is hard to resist, after all.
Like so many liberal initiatives, including Medicaid/care and Social Security, MaineCare is not sustainable at this level. The Dems are once again looking for a tax increase to keep this leviathan afloat.
Lady Margaret Thatcher had it right in the 1980’s when she said, “Socialism is great … until you run out of other people’s money.”
Demand that only those people truly in need receive free or subsidized healthcare, increase competition in the insurance market, decrease regulations, and decrease the ability of lawyers to sue over hangnails, and we will return to the days of affordable healthcare.
The one to bash is the irresponsible Baldacci, not the responsible LePage
Plain and simple veto this bill and make them go back and do the job they were told to do.
This state can not afford this version of welfare