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Ted W. James is a doctor with specialties in gastroenterology, hepatology and endoscopy at St. Joseph Hospital. He is also an adjunct assistant professor at the University of New England.
Imagine waking up in the middle of the night with crushing chest pain knowing there’s no ambulance service to your town. Picture skipping critical cancer screenings because there’s no way to pay for them. Visualize rural hospitals shuttering, forcing you to drive hours for care when every second counts.
On January 17, the House Budget Committee distributed a 50-page list of spending cuts and tax proposals to the House Republican Caucus. Among these proposals is a plan to slash $2.3 trillion from Medicaid, known here in Maine as MaineCare. Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled House passed a budget reconciliation bill that included many of these cuts.
This isn’t just another policy decision; it’s a direct threat to the health, safety, and survival of thousands of Mainers.
This is the reality Mainers face if Republicans’ plan to slash Medicaid spending becomes a reality. For hundreds of thousands of Mainers, MaineCare isn’t a luxury — it’s the only thing standing between them and devastating illness, financial ruin, or premature death.
MaineCare is a lifeline for over 350,000 Mainers, including 133,431 children. It provides essential services: doctor’s visits, prescription medications, mental health treatment, and hospital care. For elderly individuals, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and low-income families, MaineCare is the safety net that keeps them afloat.
Without it, rural communities — already facing a critical shortage of healthcare resources — will be hit hardest. MaineCare and Medicare together account for over 60 percent of hospital funding in our state. Slashing MaineCare would force hospitals to cut services, lay off staff, or even shut their doors. Small community hospitals, many already operating on razor-thin margins, will face chaos.
Here’s how the proposed cuts could devastate Maine’s healthcare system:
Rural hospitals would be on life support. Community hospitals have already been forced to reduce services or convert to critical access hospitals with only 25 beds. Cuts to MaineCare would mean fewer doctors, fewer beds, and overcrowded emergency rooms stretched beyond their limits. Ambulances could be rerouted farther and farther, delaying life-saving care.
Ambulance services are already on the brink. Northern Light Medical Transport, which serves Downeast and Northern Maine, is already asking towns to pay $17 per resident to keep ambulances available. Without MaineCare funding, these costs will likely skyrocket. Many towns simply won’t be able to afford ambulance services, leaving residents stranded in emergencies.
Preventive care could be eliminated. As a doctor, I’ve seen MaineCare save lives through cancer screenings that caught colon and breast cancers early. Without MaineCare, these life-saving tests can become unaffordable. Advanced-stage cancer rates will likely rise, leaving families to suffer both the emotional and financial burden of care that could have been avoided.
Elderly and disabled Mainers could be left to fend for themselves. Maine has one of the oldest populations in the country. Nearly 23 percent of Mainers are on Medicare, and many rely on MaineCare to cover what Medicare doesn’t. Without MaineCare, thousands of elderly Mainers may face impossible choices between paying for prescriptions, food, or heating their homes.
This isn’t just a healthcare crisis, it’s a moral crisis.
The proposed Republican cuts target our most vulnerable neighbors: children, seniors, and those in rural areas who already face barriers to care. I believe these cuts will cost lives. Maine’s healthcare system, already stretched thin by the COVID-19 pandemic, cannot afford another blow.
But we are not powerless. We can stand up for MaineCare and for the health and dignity of every Mainer.
You can help now by calling Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins. Demand that they protect MaineCare and stand against these cuts. Your voice matters.
Share your story. If MaineCare has helped you or someone you love, tell your neighbors, write letters to your local paper, or post on social media. Stories have the power to change hearts and minds.
MaineCare is not just a line item in a budget—it’s a critical resource for our communities. It ensures parents can care for their kids, seniors can live with dignity, and rural Mainers can get the care they need.
