AUGUSTA - Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, has introduced a bill to advance health equity in Maine by closing gaps in MaineCare and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The measure, LD 718, was heard before the Legislature's Committee on Health and Human Services on Thursday. If passed into law, the bill would ensure that all Maine residents have access to affordable health care, regardless of immigration status.
"Last year, Maine made national headlines by having some of the worst racial disparities in the nation when it came to COVID-19," said Talbot Ross. "This is in large part due to the fact that many Mainers are ineligible to receive affordable health care because of their immigration status. Passing this bill, LD 718, is one of the most important things the Legislature can do to advance health equity in Maine. This is a chance to close gaps in MaineCare and CHIP that prevent many immigrants, many Mainers, from accessing the care they need."
The bill has received support from many health care organizations, including the Maine Community Action Partnership, Maine Primary Care Association and Northern Light Health. Many advocates and members of Maines immigrant communities also voiced their support for LD 718, including Abdulkerim Said, executive director of New Mainers Public Health Initiative, and Crystal Cron, president of Presente Maine, an advocacy organization for the Latinx community in Maine.
"At New Mainers Public Health Initiative, we see firsthand how harmful these gaps in coverage are for immigrants in our community," said Said. "We assist people with enrolling in health care coverage like MaineCare or the Marketplace, but too many times we have to tell people that they are not eligible for any coverage because of their immigration status. This causes people to avoid preventive care or conditions that need attention until they become an emergency. This is not a smart way to care for the residents of our state."
"Even when they have raked thousands of crates of blueberries, shucked hundreds of thousands of pounds of lobster, harvested broccoli, packed potatoes, washed our dishes, cooked our meals, built our houses and cleaned our toilets, many of my neighbors and friends who are immigrants cannot afford to go to a simple check up at the doctor," said Cron. "People are delaying care that they cant afford to be putting off. Parents agonize over the right moment to take their kids to the doctor. They sacrifice their own health and care, so they can at least afford to take their children."
LD 718 is a continuation of the Maine Legislature's longstanding efforts to provide health care to low-income families, including those who are immigrants. In 1996, with strong bipartisan support, the Maine Legislature exercised its right under federal law to provide health care to low-income Maine residents who are immigrants. In 2011, the LePage administration stripped health care from those individuals. LD 718 would restore eligibility for all low-income Mainers to receive coverage through MaineCare and CHIP.
"Health care is a human right, and its an investment in Maine's future," said Talbot Ross. "All people in Maine need access to regular, preventive care in order to build their lives and raise their families here, but these discriminatory policies are preventing many from being able to do so. I am proud to be sponsoring legislation to right this wrong, and Im thankful to the advocates in Maines immigrant communities for leading this effort."
The committee will hold a vote on LD 718 in the coming weeks.
Talbot Ross serves as assistant House majority leader and is in her third term in the Maine House of Representatives. She represents the Portland neighborhoods of Parkside, Bayside, East Bayside, Oakdale and the University of Southern Maine campus.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Talbot Ross], c. 812-1111