On May 9, 2023, the Joint Standing Committee for Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services of the Maine Legislature held a public hearing on a slate of bills related to health care reform.
We have urged Maine AllCare members to support LD 590, “RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Establish a Right to Health Care,” which would put the question to voters of whether a right to health care should be added to Maine’s constitution. This bill was presented by Sen. Craig Hickman and co-sponsored by Senate President Troy Jackson, House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, and others.
Maine AllCare also presented testimony on LD 329, “An Act toEnsure Health Care for All Maine Residents,” sponsored by Sen. Mike Tipping. This would direct the Legislature to establish a work group tasked with assessing the next steps needed to fully implement the Maine Health Care Plan (Public Law 391, which was passed by the Legislature in 2021 and became law without Gov. Mills’ signature), including steps needed to pursue federal waivers.
Other bills considered by the committee were focused on instituting a single-payer system similar to the Bismarck model in Germany (LD 303), providing single-payer health insurance to all Maine children (LD 1387), and providing clear information on pricing of health care services (LD 1740).
See testimony here (choose 5/9/23).