“Today is not about wanting another statement,” Alessia Gaspar-Da Silva, of Bridgton, told reporters today in Portland. “It is about demanding to not just be seen, but heard.” Gaspar-Da Silva’s husband, Marcos, was detained by ICE for seven months before being released in August. She spoke at a press conference in front of Sen. Susan…
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hannah Pingree holds a double-digit lead over Republican Bobby Charles, while one of her signature health care proposals is even more popular with likely Maine voters, according to a new poll released Tuesday. The survey, conducted by the Maine People’s Resource Center and released by the Maine People’s Alliance (of which Beacon…
Former Gov. Paul LePage rejected expanding Medicaid even if it would help more Mainers get health insurance, proposed deportations as a response to Maine’s housing shortage and dismissed congressional limits on ICE during Thursday’s debate against Democrat Matt Dunlap. LePage, the Republican candidate for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, said he would not support expanding Medicaid…
Beginning in January, tens of thousands of Mainers enrolled in MaineCare will face new work reporting requirements to keep their health care coverage. The new administrative burdens are the result of changes in President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) that used the savings from depriving millions of Americans health care to pay for tax…
Maine patients and providers joined advocates Wednesday in Bangor to highlight former governor and Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Paul LePage’s history on health care. “We’ve heard this story before, and we know how it ends,” said Ryan Tipping of the Maine Center for Economic Policy. “By the time [LePage] left office, 3,600 fewer Maine…
A coalition of medical professionals, service providers and community leaders launched a campaign Wednesday opposing a Lewiston ballot measure that would place new restrictions on the city’s syringe service program Dr. Paul Vinsel, a recently retired addiction medicine physician, said programs like Lewiston’s are essential. “As a CMMC emergency department physician and throughout my career,…
After Sen. Susan Collins’ vote to confirm Matthew Byrne to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio this past week, advocates are contrasting her actions on abortion rights with her claims about where she stands — and with the actions of her opponent, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson. “[Jackson has] been…
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage is again criticizing Medicaid expansion as he campaigns for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, despite ample evidence that the program has helped rural hospitals and increased access to care. LePage, the Republican nominee in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, claimed during a May radio interview that expanding Medicaid had hurt rural hospitals.…
When Prime Healthcare took over Central Maine Medical Center in February, registered nurse Katie Grinnell was hopeful the new ownership would bring more resources to the Lewiston hospital. Instead, she says the months that followed brought staffing changes, supply shortages and growing concerns about patient care. Grinnell joined her coworkers in organizing a union to…
Mainers are encouraged to attend the Office of Affordable Health Care’s annual public hearing this week to share their experiences of navigating today’s healthcare system.Surveys show nearly half of Maine households have taken on medical debt in the past two years and the majority point to hospital-based services like surgeries or emergency care as the…