AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage wants the nation’s highest court to rule on whether Maine can remove about 6,000 young Mainers from the state’s Medicaid rolls.
LePage filed a request with the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, asking the court to reverse a November decision by the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled against the governor.
Medicaid coverage for the young Mainers in question has remained intact during the legal battle between state and federal government.
In 2012, the state sought to drop nondisabled 19- and 20-year-olds from the government-funded health plan. But the federal government denied the request, citing provision of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which requires states to maintain the same eligibility requirements in place in 2010 until 2019.
In 2010, Maine was still providing coverage to low-income 19- and 20-year-olds. The Republican-controlled Legislature approved the plan to end coverage for those young adults, which was estimated to save $3.7 million in state funds and $6.9 million in federal matching funds.
The federal government held that such a change in Maine’s Medicaid law would violate the maintenance of effort provision of the Affordable Care Act and threatened the state with elimination of all Medicaid funding.
LePage’s administration claims the feds are forcing Maine’s hand with an unfunded mandate, and that the maintenance of effort provision exceeds Congress’ authority to direct spending and violates Maine’s sovereignty.
“We are asking the Supreme Court to review this case because we firmly believe that Maine is on the right path, toward fiscal responsibility and prosperity for all, and the federal government’s path of reckless welfare spending is one that we decline to pursue,” wrote Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew.
The U.S. Supreme Court only hears about 2 percent of the cases it’s asked to review, according to the court’s own estimation.
Follow Mario Moretto on Twitter at @riocarmine.
