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Good
News, Bad News & How You Can Help:
Many Proposed Cuts to MaineCare Dropped
-
But Serious Cuts
to Drug Program
Still a Danger!
The
Good News:
Most of the major cuts to MaineCare that would most
negatively impact consumers have been either dropped
or significantly revised in an effort to lessen
the impact on low-income, elderly, ill or disabled
people. Thank you all for your help in emailing
or calling legislators, sending letters to the editor,
attending the public hearings, and submitting your
story as testimony in opposition to these cuts.
You made these changes happen – Thank you!
The most harmful proposals DROPPED or REVISED,
include:
-
Mandatory co-pays for prescriptions
– DROPPED;
-
Elimination of “elective
surgeries” (gastric bypass, nose surgery,
bunion removal, skin tag removal, rhinoplasty,
removal of impacted earwax) – REVISED:
will not be eliminated, but will require prior
authorization;
-
Discontinue coverage of adult
dentures – DROPPED;
-
Limit number of visits to Rural
Health Centers or Federally
-
Qualified Health Centers to 10
per year – DROPPED;
-
Limit adult use of Physical Therapy,
Occupational Therapy & Speech Therapy to 30
hour per year for each – DROPPED;
-
Limit the number of hospital inpatient
visits to 2 per year and hospital outpatient visits
to 5 per year – DROPPED;
-
Caps on Private Duty Nursing expenses
– REVISED: reduce hourly rates instead
of imposing a cap on the amount that patients
can receive;
-
Increased co-payment for those
with “high assets” of $15,000 or more
in the DEL Program – DROPPED.
The Bad News:
The proposals that REMAIN A SERIOUS
CONCERN are those dealing with the Drugs for the
Elderly and Disabled Program, including:
-
For those with monthly income
between $749 - $1010 for a single person and $1010
- $1,363 for a couple, the proposed co-payments
would be:
-
For generics, the higher
of $5 or 20%
-
For brand name drugs, the
higher of $20 or 20%.
-
For those with income between
$1,011-1,385 for a single person and $1,364 -
$1,869 for a couple, the proposed co-payments
would be:
-
An increase in the amount of out-of-pocket
expenses from $1,000 to $1,200 before qualifying
for “catastrophic” coverage in the Drugs
for the Elderly and Disabled Program;
-
If you have a new Medicare discount
card and make under $1,011 for a single person
or $1,364 for a couple, you will have to use up
the $600 Medicare benefit before you qualify for
the Drugs for the Elderly or Disabled Program.
-
Email Legislators! The
following legislative committee members will be
conducting work sessions on the proposed cuts
to the Drugs for the Elderly and Disabled Program.
Send them an email to let them know that you OPPOSE
these cuts. Sample message: Dear Senator/Representative
(their name). My name is (insert your name) and
I live in (insert your town’s name), Maine.
I want you to know that I am against the proposed
cuts to the Drugs for the Elderly and Disabled
Program, and I urge you to OPPOSE these cuts.
They are unacceptable and unfairly burden and
endanger the health of Maine’s elderly, disabled,
and low-income residents. Thank you.
-
Send a Letter to the Editor!
Media can convey a powerful message. Please email
a short letter to the editor of your local paper,
and tell them how you or someone you know will
be affected by these cuts. Generally, letters
to the editor should be about 250 words long and
include your full name, address, and telephone
number (for verification purposes only). Anonymous
letters will not be published. To submit letters
to the editors of the following newspapers, send
an email to the following addresses:
-
Send Us Your Story! If
you are unable to contact the legislators or newspapers
listed above, but would like to tell your story
and why you oppose the proposed cuts, please send
your story to jderrico@mainecahc.org
or call Jaime at 1-800-838-0388.
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