As legislative hearings on the biennial state budget are set to begin next week (week of Feb. 16, 2026), people directly impacted by state policies, as well as advocates and policy experts, are urging legislators to go beyond Gov. Janet Mills’ proposed budget and expand vital programs.

“Maine is in a moment that demands bold action to shore up the people in this state in the face of cruel and dangerous federal policies,” says Cate Blackford (she/her), Maine People’s Alliance public policy director.

“Federal cuts have made health care inaccessible, child care access questionable, and taken food off the table for many. Countering what they’ve done means coming together to ensure that – even as the federal government cuts funding for vital programs and attempts to drive apart our communities – Mainers can access health care, childcare, food and housing, and can feel safe as we go about our lives. It’s what we all deserve.”

Specifically (and not exclusively), Maine People’s Alliance is calling on the legislature to fund investments in childcare and health care, by increasing taxes on the wealthiest Mainers and profitable corporations that do business here.

Health care (Housing and Economic Development, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 1:30)

Paying for health care is now Americans’ top financial worry. It’s no surprise – here in Maine, the fact that Republicans in Congress have killed the ACA subsidies that allowed many people to finally afford health insurance means that they’re either going broke to pay for it, or going without. Tens of thousands of Mainers will also lose MaineCare because of new work requirements, which incidentally will cost the state millions to administer every year.

Gov. Mills’ proposed budget contains funds to help pay the administrative and labor costs associated with the Medicaid cuts – but it does not directly help Mainers who lose their coverage. This won’t come close to making things right for people who will go broke, become ill or even die because they lost coverage.

The legislature must fund healthcare by providing support to people who can’t afford their health insurance, and additional funding to fill federal cuts to MaineCare and rural healthcare providers.

John Costin of Sanford (he/him) has owned a small business for three decades. Now, at 62 and 63, he and his wife are being forced to go without health insurance until they can access Medicare at 65.

“Without the ACA enhanced subsidies that Congress failed to save, we were looking at spending more than $49,000 per year in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. Our state legislature has a chance to give people like us a way to access health insurance – which we should all have. That’s by making sure people who are really wealthy, and corporations that make huge profits, pay what they actually owe.”  

Childcare (Housing and Economic Development, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 1:30)

All parents deserve access to affordable, high-quality childcare and early education for their kids – and all providers deserve to earn a living wage.

That’s why the upcoming budget must include funding to support families paying for childcare, and to help child care providers cover child care for their own kids.

“It’s so hard for families to find childcare in Maine,” says Crystal Parritt (she/her), director of childcare services at the YWCA of Central Maine in Lewiston.

“When they can, it’s often completely unaffordable. If we care about Maine families, we need to make sure parents can afford childcare – and that we have enough childcare providers, by making sure they themselves can afford childcare.”

Parritt adds, “It’s one of the best ways to keep young families here, and attract more people to the state in the future.”  

Raising revenue to pay for vital programs, and our state’s future (Taxation, Thursday, Feb. 19, 9am)

Increasing taxes on the wealthiest Mainers and rich corporations would raise revenue that could fund these and other programs in Maine. But in spite of what you may have heard from people stuck in a Reagan-era mindset, making our tax system fairer is popular too – across the political spectrum (and statewide).

In a poll conducted last year, Mainers also said that raising taxes on individuals with higher incomes, corporations and more was acceptable – but cuts to housing, health care and childcare were unacceptable.

When we raise revenue by taxing the wealthiest Mainers, we can access hundreds of millions of dollars every year we’ve been leaving on the table – all without raising taxes on ordinary Mainers – by raising taxes on people with incomes of more than $1 million, making sure that rich corporations pay what they truly owe in taxes, and making our income tax system more progressive by adding higher tax brackets, so people who make $60,000 per year don’t pay tax at the same rate as people who make $600,000.

When legislators make the choice not to increase taxes on those who can most afford it, they make the choice not to serve the rest of us adequately. Cuts to things like health care and childcare only hurt us – now, and in the future.

The legislature must pass bills to increase tax revenue from the wealthiest Mainers and corporations doing business here – or include those tax changes in the state budget.

Cate Blackford says small, incremental changes will not meet the moment, and legislators must take this opportunity to raise revenue to take care of our state:

“Right now, health care costs are skyrocketing, along with so many other costs. Inaction right now will literally kill people, and will have impacts – on our communities, our workforce and the overall health of our state – for decades. Instead, we can choose to be bold, and brave. We encourage our representatives in Augusta to do the right thing and do it now.”

####

With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

####

Contact: Nora Flaherty-Stanford (she/her), nora@mainepeoplesalliance.org, (207) 370-8314

The post In advance of budget hearings, advocates urge legislature to fund vital programs by taxing wealthiest Mainers and corporations appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.

The member-led board of directors of Maine People’s Alliance has announced that it has voted unanimously to endorse Graham Platner in his primary run to face Sen. Susan Collins as the Democratic candidate for the 2026 U.S. Senate race.

MPA Board Co-Chair Gina Morin (they/them) said, “Listening to [Platner] during interviews and town halls, it is clear that he addresses the critical issues affecting our country and, specifically, Maine. He speaks directly to the reality that the top 1 percent are hoarding wealth while the middle class and the poor are left to go without. He has also addressed the need to fix the same issues we have been working on for years, such as health care affordability, the housing crisis, and immigrant rights. His activism drove him to seek this office out of frustration. His values and dedication are what align him with the Maine People’s Alliance.”

Additionally, Platner has been active and vocal in resisting ICE’s presence here in Maine and has been calling on our members of Congress to do more to protect everyone—in Maine and across the country—from ICE’s violent, racist tactics.

Platner, an oyster farmer and veteran from Sullivan, has been an active member of MPA’s Penobscot County chapter, helping us hold Sen. Susan Collins accountable to constituents. Last winter, he joined fellow MPA members in Washington, D.C., in a march to protect access to health care. Shortly after this, he began organizing locally in Hancock County, helping build grassroots power closer to home.

MPA Board Member Shaun Donnelly (he/him) said it’s clear that Platner is “grounded in the real challenges facing everyday Mainers because he faces them himself. Graham names the oligarchy and corporate greed as the true enemies of progress in Washington, and he understands that the only way to defeat them…is through grassroots organizing. His personal story of finding purpose through his community and activism has the power to inspire many who may feel angry, disconnected, or hopeless about politics. Graham is a talented leader whose values, vision, and strategy are aligned with the mission of Maine People’s Alliance.”

####

With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

####

Contact: Nora Flaherty-Stanford (she/her), nora@mainepeoplesalliance.org, (207) 370-8314

The post Maine People’s Alliance endorses Graham Platner to face Collins for US Senate appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.

In response to operations by ICE in Maine, Maine People’s Alliance is issuing the following response, attributable to Amy Halsted (she/her), MPA co-director:

“We want to be very clear: ICE is not welcome in Maine. Masked militia do not belong in our communities, let alone armed and willing to commit murder. Mainers won’t fall for divisive rhetoric from the Trump regime.

We will protect ourselves, our family members, and our communities from the violence, chaos and fear ICE agents bring with them. Because in Maine, we look out for one another.

While ICE is sending masked agents in unmarked cars to disappear our neighbors, hanging around while our kids board the school bus, and kidnapping parents as they pick up their kids after school, Mainers will not be bullied.

This fascist regime is trying to rob our families of everything we’ve created to care for each other, to finance abducting our neighbors and to line the pockets of their billionaire backers. Mainers will not be complicit in the abductions of neighbors, stealing healthcare from older people, and taking food from kids.

Here’s what needs to happen to protect the people of this state: Ultimately, our Members of Congress must defund ICE. Right now, ICE agents who engage in illegal activities must be disciplined and, when appropriate, face criminal charges. And ICE must leave our communities, where agents are not needed or welcome.”

MPA has also compiled the following list of resources for those wishing to take action, or prepare for the possibility of harassment or detention by ICE agents:

Donate to Maine Solidarity Fund, which provides support to Mainers facing increased detention, targeted harassment, policy rollbacks, and systemic discrimination under the new Trump administration. You can also find several other organizations to donate to in the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition’s Resource Hub.

Report ICE agents in your area. More resources on recording, knowing your rights, and volunteering for ICEWatch are at MIRC’s Resource Hub. Know your rights! You don’t have to open the door to an ICE agent. You don’t have to talk to them, in your home, at work, or on the street. You have the right to a lawyer. You have the right to refuse to be searched if an agent stops you in public. More information from the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP.)

####

With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

####

Contact: Nora Flaherty-Stanford (she/her), nora@mainepeoplesalliance.org, (207) 370-8314

The post MPA response to ICE hostile action against Mainers appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.

The member-led board of directors of Maine People’s Alliance has announced it has voted unanimously to endorse Scott Harriman in the Feb. 24 special election for House District 94 in Lewiston. This announcement was made ahead of the Dec. 13 Democratic Caucus during which a candidate will be nominated for the seat previously held by former Rep. Kristen Cloutier. 

Harriman is currently serving his third term on the Lewiston City Council, where he is the council’s representative on the Lewiston School Committee and was previously a member of the city’s Housing Committee. If elected to represent House District 94 in the State House, he would like to serve on the Housing Committee, where he would work on bills to address housing affordability and availability.

Harriman (he/him) said in a statement to MPA, “I’m running for the State House to help make things better for the people of Lewiston. This means supporting policies and delivering funding to make housing, healthcare and childcare more affordable. It also means holding the line against legislation that would hurt our families and neighbors, such as making life harder for immigrants and refugees, making life-saving health care even less affordable or accessible, rolling back reproductive choice, and cutting the social safety net right out from under Maine people.”

Harriman is aligned with MPA’s world view and has committed to champion the issues that affect Mainers across the state. He has indicated that if elected he would introduce legislation to shift the tax burden to those who can afford it. He has also expressed his strong support for ensuring immigrants in Maine have access to General Assistance and MaineCare so they are able to remain healthy and housed. 

Harriman added, “State legislatures are taking on more responsibilities and must resist federal overreach more than ever. We need legislators with tenacity and a strong moral compass. I’ve stood up to bullies throughout my time in public service, and I’ll continue to do that in Augusta on behalf of Lewiston people.”

MPA Campaign Vote!, the political action committee of MPA and its 32,000 members, bases its endorsements on candidates’ stances on issues our members care about, including the democratic process, education, the environment, equalizing opportunity for Mainers, gun safety, health and care, housing, justice reform, labor, income, taxes, and transportation. 

After completing a detailed questionnaire, candidates are interviewed by the Campaign Vote! team about their positions on issues, motivation for seeking office, and plans for waging an effective campaign. The team then makes recommendations for our member-led board of directors to approve.

James Parakilas (he/him), one of the MPA member leaders of the Campaign Vote! team, says, “We were impressed by [Harriman’s] determined and resourceful support for meeting the needs of Lewiston’s residents and his ability to bring voters of many backgrounds and perspectives together in sometimes difficult races.”

Harriman said, “I’m incredibly honored to be recognized by Maine’s largest community action organization. I’m proud to work alongside MPA and its members, who never stop in their efforts to improve the lives of everyday Mainers. The progress we’ve made shows that we’re all stronger when we work together and support each other. That’s what I’ve been doing in Lewiston, and it’s what I plan to do in Augusta.”

####

With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

####

Contact: Kate Gardner, kate@mainepeoplesalliance.org

The post Maine People’s Alliance endorses Scott Harriman in House District 94 Special Election appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.

Maine health care advocates and people concerned about losing care visited Collins’ district offices in Augusta, Bangor, Biddeford, Caribou, Lewiston and Portland to urge her to vote yes on reinstating ACA tax credits.

Photos of the event: Susan Collins ACA Bill Delivery Event – November 2025

From Biddeford to Caribou, Mainers concerned about losing health care visited Sen. Susan Collins’ offices today to give her a bill for $100 million.

That amount is a low estimate of the amount Mainers’ health care costs will likely increase because Republicans in Congress failed to extend the enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs) that have made purchasing health insurance possible for tens of thousands of Mainers.

They urged Sen. Collins to vote “yes” on reinstating ePTCs when the question comes before Congress (expected before the end of the year).

Carie Bernard (she/her), a self-employed health care provider in Portland, has a serious, genetic health condition and needs frequent MRIs, hearing tests, and neurology consults. Bernard has also had several major surgeries and is preparing for another in the next month.  

Bernard has been able to purchase insurance through coverME.gov using ePTCs. But without the credits, her insurance premium will rise in 2026 from about $250 to $1200 per month.

“With access to affordable health insurance, I can stay healthy, work, and contribute to my community,” Bernard says. “Without health insurance and regular access to affordable health care, the disease I have would kill me.”

Older Mainers in rural areas will be hit especially hard if the ePTCs aren’t reinstated for 2026. Allowing ePTCs to expire would increase premiums — especially for older adults in rural areas — by an average of 77%, with many people likely to drop coverage as a result.  

Megan Smith (she/her), a Maine People’s Alliance community organizer in northern Maine, says the expiring ePTCs are only part of the larger health care crisis that Republicans and Pres. Trump created.

“Because of the devastating cuts to Medicaid and other health care programs in the Republican federal budget, we’re already seeing maternity wards and primary care practices closing, with more rural hospitals at risk. Rural Mainers already have to drive too far and pay too much for health care – if we can get it at all. Having to pay so much more for insurance will mean that more people will go without, and more people will die. Sen. Collins has to understand that protecting our health care needs to be her first priority.”

Mainers will see their premiums increase an average of nearly 24% (4% higher than the national average) on the ACA individual marketplace, which has about 71,000 enrollees in Maine. Just the end of ePTCs would result in $42 million in lost federal funding for Maine, the loss of 500 jobs, and $6 million less per year in state and local tax revenue.

Republican leadership in the Senate committed to vote on reinstating ePTCs as a condition of ending the federal government shutdown earlier this month, but have not made any commitments beyond that. The Senate has two weeks of session days before the end of the year.

####

With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

####

Contact: Nora Flaherty-Stanford, (207) 370-8314, nora@mainepeoplesalliance.org

The post Mainers give Collins the bill for skyrocketing health insurance costs appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.

The polling also finds voters disapprove of ICE’s actions.

New polling shows a majority of Mainers disapprove of how Sen. Susan Collins has handled the government shutdown and also disapprove of the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The results also show that one of Collins’ potential challengers would win if the U.S. Senate election were held today.

In the poll of 783 Maine voters conducted by the Maine People’s Resource Center, 51% say they disapprove of Collins’ “handling of the federal government shutdown and her stance on health care subsidies,” while only 28.4% approve.

Disapproval is high in both congressional districts and among voters of all genders and levels of education. Of voters who identify as ideologically moderate, 57.4% of voters say they disapprove of Collins’ actions.

The survey was conducted from Oct. 26-29, 2025, and has a margin of error of 3.5% at the 95% confidence level. The survey also asked voting intentions on Question 1 on the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot and the results compared to preliminary election results are accurate within the statistical margin of error.

Slightly more than half of Mainers (52%) say they disapprove of “the way the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, is doing its job,” with 41% approving. Those expressing disapproval include 90% of Democrats and 54% of independents. A 49% plurality of Mainers say undocumented immigrants should be given a pathway to legal status, while 42% favor deportation.

A bill to limit local police cooperation with ICE passed in the legislature earlier this year and is currently being held by Gov. Janet Mills. She will have to decide whether to veto the bill or allow it to become law when the legislature returns in January.

Mills, who is running for the U.S. Senate in a high-profile Democratic primary, is virtually tied with fellow candidate Graham Platner, with 39% of Democrats and independents who intend to vote in the primary favoring Mills and 41% favoring Platner.

The U.S. Senate primary will be decided through ranked-choice voting. When second-choice preferences for Jordan Wood (who announced today that he will no longer be a candidate in the U.S. Senate race) are allocated, Platner leads Mills 53% to 47% in the decided vote.

Mills would lose to Collins in the U.S. Senate general election if the contest were held today, garnering 42% of the vote to Collins’ 46%. Platner would do better against Collins, winning 45% to 42%. A double-digit percentage of voters are undecided in both potential match-ups.

Collins’ relative favorability has remained steady over the last four years, with 55% of Mainers saying they view her unfavorably, while 37% say they have a favorable opinion.

Mills’ favorability has decreased in recent months, falling into negative territory for the first time this year. 51% of voters currently say they have an unfavorable view of Mills while 44% have a favorable opinion.

####

MPRC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to giving Maine people, especially those who are underrepresented in civic life, skills and information to participate in the decision making processes that affect them. MPRC has conducted highly-regarded public opinion polling in Maine since 2010.

####

Contact: Nora Flaherty-Stanford, (207) 370-8314, nora@mainepeoplesalliance.org

The post Poll: Majority of voters disapprove of Collins on shutdown appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.

In the face of severe Republican budget cuts to healthcare funding, Maine small business owners, health care consumers and advocates spoke on the need to keep health coverage affordable.

Photos available here

Maine health care advocates, small business owners and Mainers who have insurance through the ACA marketplace and stand to see their premiums rise dramatically held a press conference on Thursday morning in front of Sen. Susan Collins’ district office building in downtown Portland.

The speakers called on the four members of Maine’s congressional delegation to work to bring back funding for Medicaid and Affordable Care Act tax credits that make it possible for many Americans to afford insurance. 

Chena Immel (she/they), of South Portland, said she’s been struggling to afford health insurance for the past nine years because she has a health condition that makes it impossible to work full time. “I can barely afford insurance through the ACA marketplace even with the tax credits that the government put in place during the pandemic – it’s only with the help of my family that I’m getting all my bills paid. Now, I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I’m scared.”

As the Nov. 1 start of the ACA open enrollment period approaches, the impacts of the cuts are becoming even clearer. The 71,000 people who get their insurance on the ACA marketplace in Maine (coverME.gov) will see their premiums increase an average of nearly 24% (4% higher than the national average). Families with low incomes will be hit hardest and could see their insurance premiums up by more than 500%. But they’re not the only ones – costs will rise for the vast majority of people who get health insurance on the marketplace.

John Costin (he/him), the owner of Veneer Services Unlimited in Sanford, said his family and his employees are both worried about rising costs and losing coverage. “My wife is 63 and recently retired. But instead of relaxing, she’s facing the possibility of going without health insurance for 15 months, until she can get on Medicare. Why? Because without the ACA subsidies that Congress has let expire, we’re looking at spending more than $25,000 in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. That is not doable. At least we’re close to Medicare – I have a 33-year-old employee who’s facing the same thing, but [is] more than two decades away from [qualifying for] Medicare.” 

Dr. Patrick Connolly (he/him), a physician based in Portland, said his 27-year-old daughter recently became too old to be covered under his insurance and works as a bartender, making too little to afford health insurance. “She’d been sick for a few months, had stomach problems but was afraid to go to the doctor because she didn’t have health care insurance. She got to the point where she was doubled over in pain, retching in the toilet for four hours straight. Her boyfriend dragged her to the emergency room. She has advanced liver cancer. Now, seeing the doctor sooner would not have made that any better necessarily, but she would not have suffered. That barrier to health care makes people suffer, they have worse health care outcomes, and they’re going to die.”

Cathy Rasco (she/her), the owner of Arabica Coffee Roasters in Portland, said she’s also concerned about how she and her employees will be able to afford health insurance. “I do not understand why the Republican party is so opposed to small business owners and many others accessing affordable health insurance. It has been their mission to repeal [the ACA] and now they have accomplished this goal by not funding it.”

Republicans in Congress made the decision to brutally cut the programs that give so many of us access to health care, and end tax credits that have helped millions of Americans finally afford health insurance. More than 57,000 Mainers will likely lose coverage as a result of these cuts. 

The speakers urged Maine’s congressional leaders to take action before the situation becomes worse. Immel said, “Congress needs to fix the disaster they’ve created. I’m asking Sen. Susan Collins and the other members of Maine’s congressional delegation to fight to reinstate full funding for Medicaid and the ACA, and end the shutdown. And when they come back into session, we need our Congress to extend the ACA tax credits, restore Medicaid funding, and make sure our rural hospitals stay open.”

####

With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

####

Contact: Nora Flaherty-Stanford, (207) 370-8314, nora@mainepeoplesalliance.org

The post As ACA open enrollment approaches, advocates call on Congress ensure affordable healthcare for Mainers appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.

Maine families share concerns about ACA premiums rising, Medicaid cuts, and rural hospitals closing.

As the government shutdown enters its third week, Mainers are growing increasingly worried about the future of their health care coverage. They are calling on Maine’s members of Congress to extend premium tax credits for people with marketplace health coverage and revise the law the Senate passed in July that will cut Medicaid and Medicare.

Under the current Republican budget, Mainers will see their premiums increase an average of nearly 24% (4% higher than the national average) on the ACA individual marketplace, which has about 71,000 enrollees in Maine. 

Morgana Warner-Evans (she/her), a resident of Bath, said she relies on the ACA premium tax credits to afford her health care and wants to see the credits extended. “Thanks to the ACA, I am able to get the prescriptions I need to stay healthy. I’m especially glad I can get free birth control to manage my PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and prevent unwanted pregnancy.”

Warner-Evans said the credits were especially helpful when she was in graduate school and could only work part-time for three years. “Luckily, this coincided with the enhanced ACA subsidies, allowing me to afford my premiums and reducing the amount of debt I had to take on. Now, I am able to work full-time, and can afford to pay a little more for my premiums. I want today’s students, parents, semi-retired people, and others with reduced hours to have the same security that I did.”

Parents like Raychel Ward (she/her), of Livermore Falls, are also worried about rising costs and the possibility of rural hospitals closing across the state. “We live in a rural part of Maine and are watching rural critical care access hospitals close left and right because they can’t afford to function anymore.”

The Republican budget could lead to the closure of several rural hospitals in Maine. If this happens, thousands of Mainers will be forced to drive hours to receive care—or worse, go without the care they need and either get sicker or in the worst case, die. 

At-risk rural hospitals in the state include Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle and Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth, according to the organization Protect Our Care. The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform identifies five rural hospitals at immediate risk of shutting down.

Melissa Dunn (they/them), of Lewiston, has already felt the impact of health centers closing in their community. Their primary care doctor recently left B Street Health Center after Community Clinical Services, the organization operating it, downsized its services. Dunn says dental and psychiatric services are no longer available.

Dunn says, “We’re in such a rural state and even being in Lewiston I sometimes have to travel for care, so I can’t imagine people in more rural areas trying to receive care. I just worry this will put people in a compromising situation where they might not be able to go to the hospital when they need care, even if it could save their life.”

Dunn adds that when people lose health care coverage or delay or forgo care, it often pushes them further into poverty.

Many of these hospitals and health centers rely on Medicaid funding to operate, but Republicans in Congress made the decision to brutally cut the programs that give many of us access to health care. Because of those cuts, more than 57,000 Mainers will likely lose their health insurance coverage. 

Ward and her family rely on hospitals and health centers in their area to care for their three children, each with complex medical issues. Her youngest child, Bryan, was born with hyperinsulinism, a condition that causes his body to produce more insulin than his available blood sugar can process. The result is dangerously low blood sugar levels that require ongoing treatment.

Ward says, “His medications are like $440 a month, which Medicaid covers for us, but without Medicaid, it would be virtually impossible to receive or access those medications. It’s very scary.” 

Kasey McBlais (she/her), a single mother from Buckfield, also relies on Medicaid to care for herself and her children. Her son’s medical needs can’t be accommodated by local child care providers, so McBlais has to work part-time to care for him. Her reduced income qualified her for MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program. 

McBlais says, “Since obtaining MaineCare health insurance, I was able to go to therapy to navigate the challenges and aftermath of divorce. I was able to go on an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety medication, which otherwise would have been unaffordable.” 

Through MaineCare, her son also receives in-home support from a behavioral health professional and is enrolled in services at the Glickman Lauder Center for Excellence in Autism and Developmental Disorders. “All of this would not have been possible without our MaineCare health insurance,” McBlais says.

Ward and McBlais are calling on Maine’s members of Congress to fight for families like theirs by extending the tax credits that allow many people to buy insurance on the marketplace, restoring Medicaid funding, and making sure our rural hospitals have what they need to stay open. Ward says, “If we could take a minute, just a minute, on a federal level to evaluate our entire health care system and see what works and what doesn’t work and actually make the system work for Americans, that would be amazing.”

McBlais says, “There has to be a moment where the folks that we elect into power… look at us like we’re human beings and we’re not just mouths to feed or a number or a statistic. I would want them to look in [my son’s] eyes… and ask themselves, how can they make these decisions when there are real people, real lives at stake?”

####

With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

####

Contact: Kate Gardner, kate@mainepeoplesalliance.org

The post Mainers call on Trump and Collins to end shutdown and protect access to affordable health care appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.

Maine People’s Alliance is urging its members and supporters to vote No on Question 1 this November, which would effectively dismantle Maine’s absentee voting system.

“Question 1 would make it much harder for nearly half the state’s residents to have their voices heard and votes counted—and we don’t think that’s right,” says MPA Co-Director Amy Halsted (she/her). “No matter your work schedule, your physical ability, or whether you live in the most rural areas of the state, no one should face barriers when casting their ballot.”

MPA is part of the Save Maine Absentee Voting coalition, which includes 35 nonprofit organizations from across Maine as well as national partners. Coalition members believe that fair, open, and accessible elections are the cornerstone of our democracy.

Question 1 reads: “Do you want to change Maine election laws to eliminate two days of absentee voting, prohibit requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, end ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes, limit the number of drop boxes, require voters to show certain photo ID before voting, and make other changes to our elections?”

MPA has long advocated for the rights of seniors, rural residents, working people and Mainers with disabilities. Question 1 would make it harder for all these groups to vote, weakening Maine’s democracy.

Registered Maine voters can request an absentee ballot online now at www.justvoteme.org by contacting their local municipal office. Ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on Nov. 4, Election Day.

####

With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

####

Contact: Kate Gardner, kate@mainepeoplesalliance.org

The post Maine People’s Alliance urges supporters to vote No on Question 1 appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.

In the face of Republican cuts to Medicaid, Mainers around the state canvassed at health care providers at increased or immediate risk of closure.

View photos and video here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tmCmsvR7kCARak_AjjbMnp_RsTtHI2Ub?usp=sharing 

Mainers visited hospitals across the state today, several of which are facing the threat of closure due to Republican cuts to Medicaid, to speak with patients and health care providers about their concerns. These patients and health care workers rely on these hospitals for everyday and lifesaving health care, as well as for employment. 

Carolyn McNamara (she/her), a provider at B Street Health Center in Lewiston, said, “We’re really concerned about the Medicaid cuts. We’re in a situation in Maine where a lot of people rely on MaineCare. It’s a pretty cost effective system to prevent people from ending up in the hospital, prevent people from being out of work, prevent people from having more complicated issues that will cost more money in the future. So, we’re really hoping that things don’t go in that direction so that we can continue to provide preventative care.”

Republicans in Congress made the decision to brutally cut the programs that give many of us access to health care. Because of those cuts, more than 57,000 Mainers will likely lose their health insurance coverage. 

Jim Parakilas (he/him), a volunteer with Maine People’s Alliance’s federal issues team, said, “Republicans in Congress and the White House have created a perfect storm for everyone who uses these facilities: throwing people off MaineCare and making health insurance policies through the ACA marketplace unaffordable closes the doors of hospitals and doctors’ offices to great numbers of Mainers, and denying those federal supports to great numbers of Mainers will mean a number of Maine hospitals closing their doors to everyone.”

Under the current Republican budget, Mainers will see their premiums increase an average of nearly 24% (4% higher than the national average) on the ACA individual marketplace, which has about 71,000 enrollees in Maine. 

The budget could also lead to the closure of several rural hospitals. If this happens, thousands of Mainers will be forced to drive hours to receive care—or worse, go without the care they need and either get sicker or in the worst case, die. 

At-risk rural hospitals in the state include Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle and Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth, according to the organization Protect Our Care. The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform identifies five rural hospitals at immediate risk of shutting down.

Megan Smith (she/her), a Bangor community organizer with Maine People’s Alliance, spoke with patients and providers at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. She said, “It is crucial that our members of Congress fight to keep our hospitals open, especially those in rural areas, because Mainers depend on them both for routine, everyday care and for lifesaving treatments. Our communities can’t afford to lose these institutions and our neighbors can’t afford cuts to Medicaid. We are urging our elected officials to stand by the constituents they serve, not Trump and his billionaire friends.”

Advocates urged Maine’s members of Congress to fight to ensure that we can all get care—by extending the tax credits that allow many people to buy insurance on the marketplace, restoring Medicaid funding, and making sure our rural hospitals have what they need to stay open.

In addition to talking with patients and providers in Bangor and Lewiston, advocates also spoke with people at MaineHealth Stephens Hospital in Norway and Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth.

####

With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

####

Contact: Kate Gardner, kate@mainepeoplesalliance.org

The post Maine patients and advocates fight to save rural hospitals as federal Medicaid cuts loom appeared first on Maine People's Alliance.