Gov. Paul LePage
Despite the
adamant and incoherent opposition of Gov. Paul LePage, Maine's legislature is
inching toward a Medicaid expansion, with Democrats saying they are close to having enough Republicans to pass it, and to override LePage's veto.
At least one moderate Republican, Sen. Roger Katz of Augusta, is now seeking ways to draw more Republican votes to expand Medicaid eligibility, which would insure an additional 70,000 to 100,000 Mainers.
“There’s lots of discussions going on inside and outside the State House,” he said. “Stay tuned.”
Rep. Richard Farnsworth, D-Portland, House chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, said he has heard from connected sources that two or three more Republicans may vote in favor of expansion.
Katz is exploring some compromises that could bring more Republicans over, including a way to bring more "personal responsibility" (a favorite GOP catch phrase) to recipients of the program. Too many changes to the program would require the state to get a waiver from the federal government to do the expansion. There are between 70,000 and 100,000 uninsured people who currently fall into the Medicaid gap in Maine.