On November 7th, Mainers will have the opportunity help spur economic growth and provide over 70,000 low-income Mainers with access to health coverage, by voting “yes” on question 2, to expand Medicaid eligibility.
MECEP has previously reported on the many benefits of Medicaid expansion for Maine. These benefits include:
- Access to affordable health care for over 70,000 low-income Mainers living in or near poverty, including 3,000 veterans.
- Access to preventive care and primary care, which will allow low-income Mainers to avoid medical expenses related to preventable health conditions.
- Tens of millions in savings for hospitals as people who previously relied on charity care now have affordable health coverage.
- Life-saving treatment for thousands of Mainers suffering substance misuse disorder, the state’s biggest public health crisis
MECEP has also updated its estimate of the economic impact of Medicaid expansion, to reflect updated funding numbers provided by the legislature’s Office of Fiscal and Policy Review. OFPR estimates that by state fiscal year 2021, Medicaid expansion will bring $500 million in new Federal health care dollars to Maine. Using the same IMPLAN economic model as prior estimates, MECEP estimates this will stimulate a total of almost $750 million in economic activity, which would support the creation of 6,000 new jobs, including many good-paying health care jobs.
To show how Medicaid expansion benefits different areas of Maine, and particularly Maine’s rural counties, MECEP has created an interactive county by county map and county fact sheets.
