Critics of Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed cuts to the Fund for a Healthy Maine gathered in Augusta last week to tell the Legislature what a detrimental effect such cuts could have.
The governor’s proposal would cut about $17 million in funding to programs in the first year and would set the stage for future use of the fund to fill budget holes.
The legislature needs to keep using the Fund for a Healthy Maine to fund healthy lifestyles for Mainers because that is what is was created to do.
In 1999, the legislature created the fund to manage annual tobacco settlement payments from a national lawsuit against tobacco companies. In creating the fund, the legislature also established eight categories of health programs the money could support, including smoking cessation and prevention, prenatal and child care, health care, prescription drug assistance for the elderly, dental care for low-income families, and substance abuse treatment and prevention.
The programs currently being funded are doing just what they were intended to do: Help prevent tobacco use, obesity, diabetes, teen pregnancy, and prepare children for school and connect people with health care providers. The funding for these preventative health care programs is just about the only state funding that helps keep Mainers healthier ”“ especially children and young people. Many of the programs also receive matching federal funds to help reach as many people in need of these services as possible.
According to figures from the Maine Public Health Association, youth smoking was at 40 percent in 1996. Since the Fund for a Healthy Maine was established in 1999, the rate has dropped to 18 percent.
Across the state, more than 2,500 families receive home visitations to help them prepare for school and teach parents about preventative health care, immunizations, and how to meet their child or children’s basic daily needs.
In York County, more than 160 families benefit from home visits.
If the governor’s proposal is approved, all 2,500 families will most likely lose their services, putting countless children at risk for health problems and for falling behind in school. Because most of the state funding for these programs would be pulled, they would not qualify for matching federal funds.
In addition, more than 100 people who currently provide these home visits will lose their jobs.
And as Gov. LePage opens the door to take more money, year after year, the entire Fund for a Healthy Maine will disappear and all of the programs will go with it.
In a recent poll, more than 91 percent of Mainers said they support preserving the Fund for a Healthy Maine. We do, too.
Taking a short-sighted approach to save a few dollars here and there will cost Maine a lot more in the future. Studies have shown for every dollar invested in preventative care, $7.50 is saved in future health care costs.
Keeping the Fund for a Healthy Maine protected to do what it was set up to do is the only logical decision and will save Maine millions of dollars in the future.
— City Editor Robyn Burnham
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Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via e-mail at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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