It’s hard when there’s a big political debate about whether other people think that you should have access to health insurance coverage.
I know that our country is divided and issues often come down to two teams who can’t find middle ground. But with health care, it should be different.
I’m 61 years old and I have COPD. I need oxygen, but I can’t afford it. I don’t have health insurance. I’m too young to qualify for Medicare and I don’t qualify for Medicaid.
I go to sleep every night afraid that I won’t be able to breath or that the next day will start with a really bad morning.
I’ve have worked my entire life. My first job was in a textile mill and now I work as a hairdresser. I love my job and my clients, who have become my friends. But going without the health care I need makes it hard for me to work, to stand on my feet all day.
This Nov. 7, Mainers will have a chance to vote on Question 2, which would expand Medicaid to people like me.
A recent column by state Rep. Karen Vachon said MaineCare coverage holds people back. But it would help me to afford the oxygen and doctor visits I need.
Question 2 would help to provide health care coverage to more than 70,000 Mainers, including people who earn less about $16,000 a year. That includes people like me, working moms, veterans and people who are struggling with medical conditions.
But the benefits of Medicaid expansion go a lot further. Question 2 will help our hospitals and clinics, too, by bringing more than $500 million new dollars into the state every year. It would create 4,000 new jobs. And it would help to hold down premiums for everyone by reducing bad debt, charity care and unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
Question 2 will help a lot of people in Maine, and it will make our economy stronger.
Please vote “yes” on Question 2.
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