‘Mainers for Health Care’ pressure lawmakers to implement Medicaid expansion law

AUGUSTA, Maine. (WABI) A coalition working to see Maine’s Medicaid expansion law goes into effect is pressing lawmakers and the governor to uphold the will of the voters.

Health care providers, members of the faith community and others from the group Mainers for Health Care pressed their case in Augusta on Tuesday.

They reminded lawmakers the law requires the state to begin covering eligible people beginning on July 2nd.

“Voters sent a strong message supporting Medicaid expansion with 59% of the vote. So we want more than 70,000 Mainers to receive healthcare coverage under Medicaid expansion,” said Robyn Merrill, Co-chair of Mainers for Health Care.

“It is finally time for our legislators to pass a supplemental budget that funds expansion, and to do so with a veto-proof majority,” said Jane Field, Executive Director of the Maine Council of Churches.

Other public education activities are planned this week to push their agenda.

Those events can be found on www.mainersforhealthcare.org.