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LTE: Lifesaving Healthcare Coverage

April 17, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014    Last update: 12:20 p.m.
 

I am a volunteer with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network here in Maine. We support evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem.

We support increasing access to health care through MaineCare to cover more hardworking, low-income Mainers using federal funds that have been already set aside for Maine. People who receive health coverage through MaineCare have better access to health care than do the uninsured. They are more likely to receive lifesaving cancer screenings such as mammograms or colonoscopies; they have better access to outpatient and hospital care and prescription drugs; and, if they get cancer, it is more likely to be discovered at an early stage. Improving access to MaineCare coverage in Maine will save lives and reduce health care costs.

Last week, Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a bill that would provide nearly 70,000 Mainers with access to health care coverage here in Maine. On Friday, Maine lawmakers failed to override that veto.

The good news for Mainers is that there are two more bills running this legislative session that, if passed, would provide access to lifesaving health care coverage for those who need it most. This issue is too important to give up on while there are still options on the table.

I encourage all lawmakers in Augusta to come together this week and do what Maine voters elected them to do: Reach across party lines, and work together. The health and wellness of Maine residents rests on their shoulders.

Mike Hart

Volunteer, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Brewer