Maine Supreme Court gives outgoing Gov. LePage a parting gift: a kick in the pants over Medicaid
Outgoing Republican Gov. Paul LePage is getting on everyone's last nerve in Maine, including Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy who gave him a December 5 deadline to implement the Medicaid expansion voters approved in 2017.
She ruled that Maine's health department has "failed and refused to comply" with the law passed by voters, and that LePage's administration should have had rules adopted and implementation started on the law by July of this year. Instead, LePage has continued to force advocates to fight him in court.
Meanwhile, the case proceeded over whether the state could be forced to implement the law when there wasn't dedicated funding for it.
Today's ruling answered that, citing testimony "from a legislative analyst who said the existing Medicaid fund could pay for expansion at least until May 2019." After that, she said, “any deficiency” in funding “must be solved” by lawmakers.
LePage is out the door in January, replaced by Democrat and Gov.-elect Janet Mills, who has vowed to respect the will of voters and get this expansion finally done.
Given that LePage has also been fighting the legislature on this, vetoing several expansion bills, it looks like 70,000 Mainers are going to get coverage next year.
At: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/21/1814522/-Maine-Supreme-Court-gives-outgoing-Gov-LePage-a-parting-gift-a-kick-in-the-pants-over-Medicaid
Outgoing Maine Governor Paul LePage reacts to today's State Supreme Court ruling.
= new reply since forum marked as read
