Senate health bill undoes years of work
I have worked with Sen. Susan Collins since 2001 to significantly increase federal resources to support Duchenne muscular dystrophy research and improve standards of care. People living with the condition are experiencing a better quality of life and longevity because of improved medical care. None of this would have been possible without the legislation Collins helped champion.
Duchenne is a serious and disabling condition, and many people who have muscular dystrophy rely on Medicaid for health care coverage.
The Better Care Reconciliation Act puts this vital program in jeopardy. The bill also adds to patient burden by allowing states to potentially gut insurance coverage requirements that could lead to persons with pre-existing conditions having access to insurance in name only. Because of these provisions, the benefits accumulated over nearly two decades, thanks to the legislation Collins championed would largely disappear. I am pleased Collins and Sen. Angus King have agreed this legislation fails to provide appropriate access to health care and are publicly opposed to it at present.
I have a longstanding relationship with Collins and her staff, and I am grateful for their help. I have equal appreciation for King and his team. Both senators have taken time to understand prudent ways federal agencies can help change outcomes for people living with serious health conditions and listened to my appeals concerning legislation putting those same efforts at risk.
On behalf of my family and Maine families living with Duchenne, I thank Collins and King.
Brian Denger
Biddeford
Maine no home for retirees
As a retiree in Maine, I am completely disgusted and discouraged. All retirees should join me in the realization our needs are being ignored by the state government.
The state budget just passed does not include any of the proposed changes to the state income tax structure for retirees. So the present $15,000, and not up to $35,000, of income will be excluded from the state income tax. And this will continue for two years. When I asked on the Maine Public show “Maine Calling” why this happened, one legislator replied funds were lacking to allow it. Those of us retirees who are being double-taxed by the state have heard that garbage before. The other legislator gave a ridiculously convoluted answer that I could not even begin to understand.
So let’s just bluntly state the truth. No one will admit retirees are an important constituency here in Maine. Various retirement support organizations will be stating in their magazines and newsletters that retirees should not move to Maine. There are other states that do encourage retirees to live there. Those retirees already here probably should consider moving out as soon as possible.
Karen E. Holmes
Cooper
Referendum lessons
A lot of people are angry that the referendums passed last November did not fare well this legislative session. Many are wondering how this is possible. Isn’t the voice of the voters sacred?
Well, no. The Maine Constitution gives referendums exactly as much standing as regular laws. They can be passed, but they can also be amended and undone by future legislatures. The people of Maine passed four progressive referendums, and at the same time, they elected a mostly Republican Legislature to go with the extremely conservative Republican governor they’ve elected twice. Not surprisingly, those Republican politicians used that power to reverse as many of the referendums as possible.
Democrats strongly support the results of the referendums and the referendum process itself, and they did everything they could to protect them, but there simply were not enough Democrats to protect them completely. Politics is all about leverage, and with the Republican governor, Republican Senate and the slimmest of majorities in the House, the Democrats were in a bad bargaining position. They did a great job, considering.
The lesson here is pretty clear. Those who supported the referendums and the values they represent — paying workers fairly, strong public education, a better democracy and marijuana legalization — will have to elect more representatives who also support those values if they want to see them respected and protected.
Republicans have gambled that they can get away with this because voters will blame Democrats, or politicians in general, or forget by Election Day in 2018. Let’s not prove them right.
April Thibodeau
Westport Island