Rep. Sharon Treat, D-Hallowell, announced she and 50 other Maine Democrats are joining hundreds of state legislators from across the nation in filing an Amicus Brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The brief will be filed this Friday and was prepared and filed in conjunction with the national progressive think tank the Constitutional Accountability Center.

“We are joining this lawsuit as a “friend of the court” because we know thousands of Maine people will benefit from the new health law,” said Rep. Treat, who is the ranking House Democrat on the Legislature’s Insurance and Financial Services Committee. “If you or a family member recently received preventive care such as a mammogram or colonoscopy or immunization, and weren’t charged any copay and didn’t have to meet a deductible, then you have already benefited from the Affordable Care Act, which required insurance companies to cover many preventive services without out-of-pocket cost to the patient.

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Michelle Obama at the announcement of Joining Forces with medical facilities to help vets with PTSD. ap photo

“I’m inspired to see our nation’s medical schools step up to address this pressing need for our veterans and military families. By directing some of our brightest minds, our most cutting-edge research, and our finest teaching institutions toward our military families, they’re ensuring that those who have served our country receive the first-rate care that they have earned,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.

As part of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) committed to creating a new generation of doctors, medical schools, and research facilities that will make sure our heroes and their families receive the care worthy of their sacrifice. Recognizing veterans, service members and their families’ dedication and commitment, 130 schools associated with the AAMC and AACOM pledged to leverage their missions in education, research, and clinical care to train the nation’s physicians to meet the unique health care needs of the military and veterans communities.

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The governor’s statement on the DHHS shortfall released included the following myths:

MYTH: The Office of Fiscal and Program Review verified the LePage Administration’s shortfall analysis.
FACT: Grant Pennoyer, director of the office, told the Appropriations and Health and Human Services Committees that “We are closer, but we are still a ways off from having a good enough understanding to provide independent confirmation of the shortfall,” as reported by the Bangor Daily News. The Legislature’s non-partisan fiscal office told the committees that the Department was on track to spend the $120 million over budget in fiscal year 2012, but they were unable to independently verify the costs for 2013 or to fully agree on the cost drivers for either year.

“The governor must stop spreading misinformation to the public and disrupting the Appropriations Committee,” said Rep. Emily Cain the House Democratic leader.

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More than 78 percent of Maine residents support the creation of a new type of dental care provider. The poll surveyed 400 residents between November 9th and the 22nd, and was conducted by Pan Atlantic Consulting.

Patrick Murphy, the research firm’s president, stated, “This poll shows unequivocally that a strong majority of Mainers are worried about access to dental care. Democrats, Republicans and Independents all agree that this is an important solution to Maine’s dental crisis.” The Pan Atlantic poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.

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“As the research demonstrates, many of the people who receive care through this program suffer from serious and chronic conditions that require medical attention,” said Dr. Coleman, a geriatric physician as well as an attending physician at the Geriatric Assessment Clinic at Maine Medical Center. “Without MaineCare, these patients will be less likely to receive appropriate and timely care, making their conditions much worse.”

The report where this research is documented was published by Maine Equal Justice Partners. The report analyzed MaineCare’s Childless Adult Waiver program, which provides health insurance for low-income adults in the state.

“The public debate around MaineCare has been driven by political rhetoric and anecdote,” said Sara Gagne-Holmes, executive director of Maine Equal Justice Partners. “As the Legislature considers Gov. LePage’s proposal to eliminate health insurance for low-income adults, we think it’s critical that lawmakers have an accurate understanding of who is served by the Childless Adult Waiver.”

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Earlier this week, lawmakers returned to the State House to reconvene for the second session of the 125th Legislature. In the six months since we’ve adjourned, lawmakers have spent time talking to people and businesses in our districts. The message we heard was clear: Mainers are tired of political distractions and want to get Maine back on track. Democrats remain committed to focusing on what matters most to Maine people: real solutions that get Maine people and our economy working again.

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Democratic state lawmakers today said they had more questions after a legislative meeting to get independent verification of the LePage Administration budget numbers was canceled late yesterday.

“We‘ve had concerns about getting the correct figures for the governor’s budget from the beginning,” said Rep. Peggy Rotundo, the ranking House Democratic member of the Appropriations Committee. “Now we are hearing that the Legislature’s independent non-partisan analysis office has still not been able to reconcile the figures they’ve been getting from the administration and that just makes us ask more questions.”

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I am sure you have been hearing this story a lot but only today as I called in to refill my seizure control medicine prescription and a refill on my 11 year old’s allergy medicine which helps control her asthma did I find out that my family no longer has MaineCare.

My pharmacists said she has had to tell at least 20 different people today that they too didn’t have coverage anymore. She added, “good luck getting through to them, I heard they had over 300 calls yesterday.”

Without giving notice – beside political posturing did LePage give us fair notice? He just set tens of thousands of Maine residents adrift without a life vest, not a oar or even pointing which direct to go for survival.

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Mr. Scrooge

With Christmas upon us, productions of Charles Dickens’ classic story, A Christmas Carol, adopted for stage and screen, are popping up everywhere as they have for generations. In this redemptive tale that has so caught the imagination of the English-speaking world, Dickens has really fashioned a religious drama in which the message of Jesus during the celebration of his birth is brought home to a single individual and releases him from the mean, selfish, bitter inner misanthropic image that he projects.

Ironically, when we think of Ebenezer Scrooge, whenever we speak his name even, we conjure the first impression he makes upon us. We do not consciously acknowledge his conversion. Scrooge has become almost a noun, meaning someone who is not only a miser but also a disbeliever in the words and admonitions of Jesus Christ. The early Ebenezer neither accepts nor practices the idea of doing unto others what you would have done to yourself.

By the end of the story, however, the old gentleman has changed. A kindly side emerges. The spirit of the holiday reaches him through a series of ghosts and he arrives in the sunlight of sharing a charitable disposition with his fellow Londoners, employees and relatives. Ebenezer Scrooge is re-born, so to speak.

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Lawmakers on the Maine Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee provided the LePage Administration with an expansive list of questions probing for the facts behind the shortfall and for the administration’s plan for the impact of its cuts. The committee will begin work sessions on the budget tomorrow.

“We have extensive questions for the administration. Before we can discuss policy, the administration needs to prove the accuracy of their projections,” said Senator Dawn , the Senate Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. “After listening to three days of public hearings on how the Governor’s plan will put lives on the line and jeopardize our economy, it is critical to hear what the Governor’s plan is for so many Maine people. Cutting programs will not eliminate the need. Instead, it will simply shift the costs to our cities and towns, local hospitals and private insurance holders.”

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