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Olivia Marsanskis is a rising senior studying biology in the Honors College at the University of Maine. These are her views and do not express those of the University of Maine System or the University of Maine. Olivia was invited to submit this contribution by the Maine chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network, which brings together scholars across the country to address public challenges and their policy implications.
Maine remains in the midst of an opioid epidemic. Although overdose deaths rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state has since made considerable progress. From 2023 to 2024, overdose deaths in Maine dropped by 19 percent. This marks the second consecutive year of double digit declines. The Mills Administration has made significant contributions to combating this crisis through targeted programs and increased funding for treatment and prevention. Part of what’s driving these positive changes is Maine’s expansion of Medicaid (MaineCare) coverage, which has provided an additional 100,000 people with access to low-cost or free health care.
President Donald Trump and House Republicans are pushing to cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and other programs for low-income Americans. Medicaid provides health care coverage to over 70 million U.S. citizens, which is about 20 percent of our population. This cut would strip Medicaid from over 10 million of those currently enrolled. It would not only affect those with Medicaid but it would also put financial strain on the hospitals, likely forcing the prices of other private medical insurances to rise.
After all of the health care progress that has been made, this budget cut would have devastating impacts on Mainer’s health amid the opioid epidemic. Maine and other states with high overdose deaths heavily rely on Medicaid and have seen a lot of benefits with Medicaid expansion. Medicaid is an effective pathway to the treatment of substance use disorders: In 2020, 88 percent of Medicaid members with an opioid-use disorder received treatment or service. This is an incredible statistic given the barriers to care that individuals with substance use disorders often face, including stigma, cost, and limited resources.
The consequences of this budget cut extend well beyond the opioid crisis, threatening the foundation of health care access for hundreds of thousands of Mainers. Medicaid is currently essential for 392,000 Mainers; this is over 19 percent of the population. Additionally, 50 percent of children in the state rely on MaineCare coverage.
This Medicaid cut is predicted to have the most harmful impacts on rural communities, which have a larger percentage of their population enrolled in Medicaid, and already face financial strains and understaffing problems in hospitals. Rural clinics, facilities, and hospitals rely heavily on MaineCare funding to remain operational. In Maine, what we need is an increase in funding not a decrease.
The Trump Administration promised us that our health care rights would not be touched. On the official White House page on March 11, less than two months ago, it states: “The Trump Administration will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits. President Trump himself has said it (over and over and over again).”
President Trump has gone back on his word. This extreme Medicaid budget cut has already passed through the House and is currently in the Senate, where new, even more destructive cuts to our fragile health care system are being considered. If enacted, this bill could undo all of the progress Maine has made in addressing the opioid epidemic — progress that has only been possible through expanded access to treatment and recovery services funded by Medicaid. This cut is not in the public’s best interest. In fact, a poll published by KFF found that 88 percent of Americans have favorable views of Medicaid, and only 17 percent support cutting funding for the program. This bill is raising alarm bells nationwide. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, has called it “morally wrong and politically suicidal.”
We cannot let these budget cuts pass. We need the help of all Mainers, Democrats and Republicans alike, to prevent this proposal from passing. It is of the utmost importance that the voices of rural Mainers are heard. Contact Maine’s representatives and senators in Washington, D.C. and make it clear that this cut is unacceptable.
