Maine governor says voters wrong to approve Medicaid expansion
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s governor said Wednesday that residents of his state made an expensive mistake when they voted to expand access to Medicaid under the federal health care law, and he’s hesitant to implement it.
Gov. Paul LePage, an opponent of “Obamacare” like his ally and fellow Republican, President Trump, has vetoed five different attempts by the state Legislature to expand the program. But Maine voters decided the issue at the polls Tuesday, approving a Medicaid expansion under former President Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act.
LePage said a previous Medicaid expansion in the state created yawning hospital debts and failed to reduce emergency room use.