There’s been a lot of media attention on why accepting federal funds that are already set aside for Maine under the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid coverage makes sense for Maine. A presentation by the Maine Medical Association to the Appropriations and Finance Committee highlights the reasons why it makes sense to accept these funds:

• More Mainers will have health care coverage
• Health care costs will go down
• Lives will be saved
• We will have a healthier workforce
• Our economy will grow
• Thousands of veterans will gain coverage
• Charity care will decrease and Maine people with insurance will see rate relief

And this is a good deal for Maine women, too. Following is the testimony provided in support of LD 1066, An Act to Increase Access to Health Coverage and Qualify Maine for Federal Funding, to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services by Danna Hayes, our Director of Public Policy:

The Maine Women’s Lobby strongly supports LD 1066, An Act to Increase Access to Health Coverage and Qualify Maine for Federal Funding, as it directly addresses one of our priorities, access to health care. 

As you have heard throughout the afternoon, passing this legislation will allow Maine to accept federal funds already set aside to insure an estimated 69,500 people.  This proposal makes tremendous sense, as it will result in a healthier populace, reduced charity care, and lower insurance rates for all.  These health care dollars will go directly into the Maine economy and result in an estimated 3,100 jobs.  The newly insured will enroll in Medicaid, also known as MaineCare.

The Medicaid program overwhelmingly serves women.   According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 68% of Medicaid enrollees in 2009 were women who qualified because they belonged to certain categories—pregnant, the parent of a child under 18, a senior citizen, or disabled.  While those categories will be irrelevant once coverage is extended to all people under 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, the new enrollees are still most likely to be women.

That’s because women are more likely to be poor.  There are a number of reasons women are more likely to be poor, including that they are likely to be paid less than their male counterparts, and that women are more likely to work in inflexible, low-wage jobs without benefits.  Over half of adult poor women are single with no dependent children. However, women are more likely to be single or custodial parents, as well as the primary caretaker for aging parents or disabled family members.  Domestic or sexual violence often pushes women into poverty.  Women live longer than men, and are twice as likely to be poor in their old age.

Women have different health care needs than men throughout the lifespan.   Ensuring that more Maine women have access to family planning as well as adequate maternity care is one of the best investments we can make.  Controlling whether or when she has children allows a woman to attain a higher level of education and increase her earning potential.  Maternity care and adequate spacing between pregnancies are critical to healthy birth outcomes and we all benefit when children get the best possible start in life.  In Maine, as elsewhere, a small percentage of Medicaid recipients drive the majority of expenses, primarily due to chronic disease.  Access to care will improve their health and reduce expense for all of us.

When women thrive, society thrives.  Ensuring that more women have health coverage will benefit not only them and their families, but all of us.  We urge you to vote Ought to Pass on LD 1066.

LD 1066 passed the Maine House with a bipartisan vote of 89-51. It hasn’t yet had a vote in the Maine Senate. To learn more about this issue, visit www.covermainenow.com.

-Kathy Kilrain del Rio

Kathy Kilrain del Rio is the Development & Communications Coordinator for the Maine Women’s Lobby and its sister organization, the Maine Women’s Policy Center. She can be reached at 207.622.0851 ext. 25 or kkilraindelrio@mainewomen.org.