AARP blasts false ‘No on 2’ ad designed to scare Maine seniors

In a statement released Friday, the Maine AARP said it is concerned that a new ad attacking Question 2 “will scare Maine seniors with false statements.” Question 2 on the November 7th statewide ballot would allow Maine to accept federal funding to expand health care coverage through Medicaid.

The ad in question is a 15-second spot sponsored by a PAC opposing Question 2. It features stock footage of senior citizens with a voiceover warning that “expanding Medicaid is done at the expense of our seniors.” It contains no citations for this claim. The commercial is running on daytime broadcast television in Maine, but the anti-Medicaid expansion campaign has not posted the ad to its website or social media accounts.

“These claims are inaccurate,” reads the AARP statement. “Multiple independent fact checkers such as Politifact and nonpartisan analysts including the Kaiser Family Foundation have confirmed that there is no connection between Medicaid expansion and waiting lists for long-term care services for the aged and disabled including nursing homes and home and community-based services (HCBS). In fact, the vast majority of states without HCBS waiting lists have expanded Medicaid.”

Previous attempts to scare seniors about Medicaid expansion on the federal level have been conclusively debunked. Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich noted that such assertions are “the opposite of what actually happened” in his state and The Washington Post gave similar claims four Pinocchios, their highest rating for falsehood.

Mainers for Health Care, the coalition supporting Question 2, responded over the weekend with their own ad calling out the false claim, reiterating the health care and economic benefits of Question 2 and highlighting support from organizations representing seniors, hospitals and health care providers, including the Maine Medical Association and the Alliance for Retired Americans.

Question 2 will secure health coverage for an estimated 70,000 Mainers, including many older Mainers who don’t yet qualify for Medicare. The $500 million per year in federal funding is projected to create 6,000 new jobs and provide much-needed financial support for Maine hospitals and clinics, especially in rural areas.

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