Medicaid Expansion will Mainly Benefit Younger Men, Smokers and Drinkers 

Governor LePage says elderly and disabled must come first

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage released a statement today about a new study that shows Medicaid expansion would add younger men, smokers and heavy drinkers to the welfare program across the country.

Published in the latest edition of the Annals of Family Medicine, the findings from the University of Michigan study were accompanied by an infographic, which is at the end of this release. The study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Analyzing the health status and habits of those likely to be added to welfare, the study shows that expansion will result in a sharp increase in smokers and heavy drinkers added to the program.

“This study illustrates why we oppose a very costly Medicaid expansion,” said Governor LePage. “This expansion of welfare would provide services to a younger population, while depleting scarce resources that are critical to care for those who desperately need assistance. We must ensure our neediest Mainers, the elderly and disabled, are put at the front of the line.

“It is critical for the public to know that this is a debate about Medicaid welfare expansion, not Medicare,” the Governor added. “Those are two different programs.”

An analysis by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services has shown the expansion of welfare would cost Maine millions of taxpayer dollars in the short term and $150 million each budget in just a few years.

The Governor also expressed concern about other priorities in the program that must be addressed before expansion can be considered, such as nursing home rates of reimbursement and primary care rates that are set to decrease after a temporary bump from the ACA ends.

“Our number-one priority is to make sure our aging and disadvantaged population, like the elderly, can receive the critical care they need,” the Governor said. “We have thousands of our elderly, our parents and grandparents, on waiting lists for care that can keep them at home and out of nursing homes. How can we consider adding thousands of adults, who are not disabled and don’t have children, to Medicaid while these folks continue to wait?”

The Congressional Budget Office projects that 13 million people will become newly eligible for Medicaid in the states that choose to expand by 2022. The non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation calculates this would cost states $8 billion more between now and 2022.

“We have to make sure our safety net is protected,” the Governor said. “The rates we pay providers need to be sufficient to ensure that individuals on the program can get access to care. We have to address the challenges with the system to take care of those on the program now, before we can consider expanding to new members.

“Expanding Medicaid to younger adults, who are not disabled and don’t have children, isn’t appropriate until we take care of our disabled and elderly,” the Governor said. “Our elderly parents and grandparents deserve nothing less than our full commitment to their well-being.”