March 20, 2023 By

Written by Lynn Cheney, Maine Allcare; updated  by Julie Keller Pease, MD. Maine AllCare

State-based SP organizations

Maine AllCare https://maineallcare.org/

HealthCare for All Maine  https://healthcareforallmaine.org/    (The 501c4 political and advocacy arm of Maine AllCare)

(Maine AllCare is a chapter of PNHP,  https://pnhp.org/chapter/maine/)

National Affiliations: PNHP, One Payer States, Public Citizen

State-based SP bills

LD 1045 (The Maine Health Care Act) in the 2021 session outlined many of the steps to implement the Maine Health Care Plan and establish the Maine Health Care Board.  The bill was “passed to be enacted” by both the House and Senate in June 2021, and became law without the governor’s signature July 1, 2021.  A summary is archived here.

LD1045 was amended in committee to include only the creation of a board, and left out all of the other provisions in the legislation. In addition, appointment of the healthcare board was made contingent on the enactment of Federal enabling legislation such as the State Based Universal Health Act (HR 3775). Therefore the Governor has not done anything to further the process. The amendment is also in the OPS Maine archive folder.

No bill in 2023.  The Legislative and Policy Committee is working a a new draft to be submitted in 2024 or 2025, and a number of legislators are interested in becoming the principal sponsor. In the meantime the Maine AllCare sponsored fiscal study is being updated (see below).

Related legislation

LD590  Introduced by Senator Craig Hickman to amend the Maine Constitution to establish the right to health care. The Maine AllCare board has voted to support the resolution. Hearings are expected in 2023.  https://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=280086157

Related advocacy

A C4 organization, Maine Healthcare Action (mainehealthcareaction.org) launched a signature campaign in late 2020 for a statewide resolve that would direct the state legislature to establish a universal healthcare plan for Maine. It was abandoned due to difficulty collecting signatures during the Covid pandemic, and lack of funding, and Maine Healthcare Action was dissolved. (LD 1045 would seem to accomplish the resolve.)

Advantages for SP in current context
The support base is growing.  Maine AllCare has over 30,000 supporters of which 11,000 are active on its email list.  The resolve campaign signed up over 600 active volunteers for signature gathering.  Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is an original co-sponsor of both Medicare for All and of Ro Khanna’s State-based Universal Health Care Act.

A study by the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MCEP) that was  commissioned by Maine All Care to model how such a health system could be financed within the state is still a helpful tool.  The study concluded that “a universal, publicly funded health care system that covers every Maine resident could save Maine $1.5 billion in total health care spending.”  A 2023 update from MCEP is underway.

Links to the full 2019 MCEP report and executive summary in our OPS state archive.   

Obstacles to SP in the current context

Governor Mills is not a supporter of state-based universal healthcare.  The legislature is pressured by time and financial constraints.  The insurance and hospital industry are active opponents.

There was another universal healthcare bill, LD1608 (Rep. Mike Sylvester D-Portland) which would initiate a process to improve and expand Medicaid to every Maine Resident.  It received a hearing, but “died in committee.”

Goals for SP movement in ME 2023-24
Legislative hearings, mobilization of supporters to testify.  Support the state resolve campaign.

Shorter-term initiatives

Ongoing education of state legislators. Lobby Maine’s CD-2 Congressman to support state-based universal healthcare.  Maine AllCare’s newly formed 501c4, HealthCare for All Maine is presenting  a series of 6 Lunch and Learn sessions at the Maine State House. Brief summaries of the first 4 of these talks can be found at https://healthcareforallmaine.org/blog/

Where can people find news about Single Payer in your state and/or join a group?

Maine AllCare. https://maineallcare.org/.  HealthCare for All Maine https://healthcareforallmaine.org/