Archives for "MaineCare"
Hundreds Rally to Urge Senators Snowe and Collins to Support Maine Jobs and Families
More than one-hundred Maine Can Do Better coalition members gathered in Portland’s Lobsterman’s Park yesterday, calling on Maine’s U.S. Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, to support the H.R. 4213, the Jobs Bill that has stalled in the Senate.
“Failure to pass the Jobs Bill would have devastating consequences to critical health services, unemployed workers, school funding, jobs, and Maine’s economic recovery,” said Ana Hicks of Maine Equal Justice Partners, who spoke at the event, “Maine cannot afford to lose any more jobs.”
The Jobs Bill would extend unemployment benefits and health care subsidies, provide vital funding for affordable housing projects, and extend enhanced federal Medicaid funding to states. Without this funding, the Maine Center for Economic Policy estimates Maine would lose more than 2000 private and public sector jobs and the U.S. Department of Labor says that more than 30,000 Mainers would lose their unemployment benefits in the next six months. Thousand have already lost benefits this week because of the Senates failure to act.
“Failure to pass this legislation now is not an option,” said Mark Sullivan of the Maine Center for Economic Policy, “The economic security of thousands of Maine families hangs in the balance. Maine’s fragile economic recovery is at risk. Congress needs to take action now before we slip even deeper into an economic recession.”
Already the Governor’s office is preparing itself for another budget crisis. Just yesterday Ryan Lowe, the Governor’s Chief of Staff, announced that Maine will face a $100 million budget shortfall without this federal funding, putting the jobs of educators, health care workers, and public safety officials at risk.
“What we’re really talking about when we say that Congress needs to pass this Jobs Bill is families,” said Jill Saxby of the Maine Council of Churches, “We’re talking about Maine families who are struggling to get by through the worse economic time since my grandmother was a single parent, raising two children in New York City during the Great Depression. As a nation we learned, even back then, that extraordinary times call for us to respond in extraordinary ways.”
“Keeping families working and giving them the supports they need to provide for their children are two of the best weapons we have to defend against some of the long-term consequences of this recession,” said Ellie Goldberg of the Maine Children’s Alliance.
Following the event, the coalition hand delivered more than 150 hand written post cards and letters to the Senators from Maine citizens telling of their personal stories of why the Jobs Bill is important to them and urging them to support H.R. 4213.
Rally Set to Urge Senator’s Snowe and Collins to Support the Jobs Bill
Hundreds plan to rally tomorrow in Lobsterman’s Park in Portland to urge Senator’s Snowe and Collins to support H.R. 4213, an important jobs bill!
Will you be there?
Here are the event details:
Where: Lobsterman’s Park, in front of the Nickelodeon Theatre in Portland
When: Wednesday, June 30th at 12:00pm
H.R. 4213 will extend unemployment benefits, provide vital funding for affordable housing, and will extend enhanced federal funding to the states for health care. If this bill doesn’t pass, we could see up to $85 million more dollars cut out of Maine’s state budget!
Let us know you’re coming by clicking here!
Advocates Urge Congress to Extend Unemployment Benefits, Health Care Assistance, and Aid to States
From the Maine Center for Economic Policy:
Augusta, Maine (Thursday, June 3, 2010)— Advocates supporting the extension of critical federal support for economic recovery today called on the members of Maine’s Congressional Delegation to continue their support for important federal assistance to state Medicaid programs to help states, like Maine facing significant fiscal crisis, as well as for maintaining needed health care and unemployment benefits for their people.
“This is a critical juncture for the economic security of thousands of unemployed Mainers, for the effort to recover from the Great Recession and for the future economic prosperity of all Maine families,” said MECEP Executive Director Christopher “Kit” St. John. “We are grateful to all four members of Maine’s congressional delegation for voting for these measures in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and at different times this year to extend the unemployment and health care benefits through the end of 2010 and the enhanced federal Medicaid assistance through state fiscal year 2011. With record long-term joblessness plaguing the nation, now is the time to maintain our investment in critical safety net programs, not cut them. The fastest way to address the nation’s long-term deficit is to get the economy going again with the help of these emergency programs.”
Read more at the www.mecep.org.
Listen to MPBN’s story: “Thousands of Mainers on Verge of Unemployment Benefits”
Maine’s Budget in Jeopardy
Next week H.R. 4213, also known as the Extenders Bill, heads to the U.S. Senate for a vote. This bill plays a vital role in protecting health care services for Maine families and health care job in Maine.
Sadly however, this bill and Maine’s budget are now in jeopardy!
Originally the bill was supposed to extend enhanced federal funding for state Medicaid programs for six months, along with extending unemployment benefits and COBRA subsidies for health insurance through the end of 2010.
Last week however, the U.S. House passed a version of the Extenders Bill that eliminates the extended federal funding for state Medicaid programs. Maine is depending on that funding. Without it, Governor Baldacci and the legislature could be forced to make up to $85 million dollars in more cuts to Maine’s budget!
There is still an opportunity to get this funding BACK into the bill! When H.R. 4213 goes to the Senate next week, Senator Snowe and Collins can advocate for it. In fact, just a couple of months ago, they both voted for these extensions in the original Tax Extenders Bill!
Please call Senators Collins and Snowe’s offices TODAY!
- Thank them for their support of extending the enhanced FMAP in the past.
- Urge them to advocate for putting the extension of the enhanced Medicaid match rate (or FMAP) back into the tax extenders bill, HR 4213, when they return to the Senate after the Memorial Day recess.
- Explain that the enhanced FMAP is critical for protecting both vital health care services and health care jobs in Maine.
Once you’ve made the call, click on this link so we can keep track of how many calls have been made!
U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe
(202)224-5344
U.S. Senator Susan Collins
(202)224-2523
Maine’s Supplemental Budget takes a Responsible Approach
After two months of work, on Monday night (2.22.10), the house appropriations committee voted to unanimously approve Maine’s supplemental budget.
Thanks to new revenues from the 2009 federal stimulus bill and a newer companion measure that together will directly infuse $114 million into the state budget (both of which had the support of Maine’s U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, as well as Maine’s U.S. Representatives Michael Michaud and Chellie Pingree), the supplemental budget was able to restore important funds to vital public structures that were cut in the original supplemental budget proposal.
Here are some of the restorations:
- 70 million in programs serving the needs of seniors, people with disabilities and families living in poverty
- $26 million in support for k-12 education
- $11 million in funding to Maine towns and cities
- $8 million for higher education; and $5.6 million in property tax relief to low and middle income families.
Maine Can Do Better is praising this effort.
“These federal revenues and the restorations in the budget clearly demonstrate that Maine’s state and federal leaders recognize the need to preserve public structures that serve all our interests, especially in challenging times,” said Ben Dudley, spokesperson for Maine Can Do Better, “The heart of fiscal responsibility is to prevent problems from getting worse and more costly down the line. That’s precisely what the restorations in this budget do.”
To read Maine Can Do Better’s complete response to the supplemental budget click here.
New Federal Money Helps Fill Maine’s Budget Gap
Thanks to the U.S. Senate passing legislation that will extend enhanced federal medicaid assistance to the states, Governor Baldacci has outlined about $94 million in proposed budget restorations.
Maine’s U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, as well as U.S. Representatives Michael Michaud and Chellie Pingree all voted in favor of this federal action.
According to a press release from the Governor’s office… he proposes to:
- Fill the $35 million placeholder proposed in the current budget for increased federal Medicaid support;
- Restore $33.6 million in proposed reductions in health and human services, including proposed cuts to the Drugs for the Elderly program, hospitals, nursing homes, service providers and crisis services;
- Restore $5.6 million to a proposed reduction in the Circuit Breaker Program, which benefits 13,000 low- and middle-income homeowners;
- Restore $5 million to municipal revenue sharing in fiscal year 2011;
- Restore $5 million to General Purpose Aid to Education;
- Restore $1.1 million for schools who voted to support the State’s education reform law but whose partner districts rejected administrative consolidation;
- Restore $580,000 for adult education;
- Provide $470,000 in debt service for the University of Maine System to bring facilities at the University of Maine into ADA compliance and remove asbestos and mercury contamination;
- Provide $200,000 for the Maine Uncontrolled Hazardous Sites Cleanup; Restore $80,000 to the Maine Judiciary.
Read his full Press Release by clicking here.
Maine Can Do Better Reacts to Proposed Supplemental Budget Changes
On March 3rd, Governor Baldacci announced changes to his proposed supplemental budget. While many news reports focused on the restoration of cuts, few focused on the $360 million cuts that still remain. After deep analysis of the supplemental budget changes, it’s clear to Maine Can Do Better that, despite the positive changes, filling the remaining budget gap with cuts alone is not the right answer for Maine. Here’s a response from Ben Dudley, spokesperson for Maine Can Do Better’s to proposed changes to the supplemental budget package….
“We’re heartened by the Governor’s proposed changes to the supplemental budget. They represent substantial restorations to programs vital to the public interest, such as funding for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, disability services, mental health crisis intervention and home-based services, k-12 and higher education, and municipal revenue sharing. Clearly Governor Baldacci heard the concerns of Maine citizens and we thank him for his efforts.
“Despite this progress, there’s still major hole in the state budget: $360 million. That’s equivalent to annual state & federal funding for the Maine Departments of Agriculture, Conservation, Economic Development, Marine Resources, The Secretary of State, The Community College System, The Maine Human Rights Commission, and the state court system combined. To make up that sizable shortfall, this budget still proposes a host of harmful cuts:
- $1.8 million cut to the Low Cost Drugs for the Elderly and Disabled program;
- $45 million cut (including lost matching funds) to MaineCare, cutting access to health care, mental health services and programs for people with developmental disabilities.
- $3.7 million cut non-MaineCare mental health services;
- $500 thousand in cuts for community support programs, including family planning, domestic violence, homeless services and child abuse prevention programs.
- $82 million cut to municipalities in revenue sharing and education funding;
- $5.6 million cut to property tax circuit breaker program;
“The remaining cuts will have a real impact on Maine families and Maine’s economy as we work to rebound from this recession. Defunding programs that keep people healthy, prepare Maine’s workforce, support local communities, and preserve jobs in a difficult economy will only make things harder in the long run. Preventing problems from getting worse, and more costly, down the line will give Maine a leg up as we work toward economic recovery.
“Will Rogers said it best, ‘When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.’ There are other options to resolving our budget problems. Instead of relying on cuts alone to close the gap, we urge state legislators and the Governor to take another positive step toward greater fiscal responsibility, one that fully considers the costs and benefits of a mix of revenues and spending cuts. It’s the only way to ensure a budget that best positions Maine for economic recovery and future prosperity.”