Campaign to extend MaineCare coverage to all eligible noncitizens vows to fight on

“Maine should be a place where all of us, regardless of background or origin, can get health care when we need it. Unfortunately, this week the Maine Senate missed the chance to close an unjust and short-sighted gap in MaineCare coverage for adult immigrants,” the All Means All coalition said in a statement.

The coalition of health and immigrant advocacy groups as well as New Mainers includes Presente! Maine, New Mainers Public Health Initiative, Maine Equal Justice, Maine People’s Alliance (of which Beacon is a project), Maine Center for Economic Policy and Consumers for Affordable Health Care.

The statement continued, “The failure to pass LD 199 will have significant real-life consequences. We know moms who are struggling to stay healthy to care for their kids, Mainers who work as home health aides but are unable to afford medication to manage their diabetes, and a father who tragically lost his life because they were too afraid to seek costly care and bankrupt their young families’ futures.”

Click here to read the full story, first published June 28, 2023 in Beacon.