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Help Stop Serious Cuts to MaineCare!
Cuts could gravely affect Maine’s elderly, disabled, and low-income residents

What is being proposed? (As of 1/9/04)

  • Limiting visits to Rural Health Centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers to 10 per year.
  • Limiting physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to 30 hours per year for each service for adults.
  • Totally eliminating coverage for the following procedures:
    • Gastric by-pass (including excess skin removal after surgery);
    • All bunion surgery, regardless of severity;
    • All nose surgery (even that needed to help chronic sinus problems or to repair damage from an accident);
    • All ear wax removal, regardless of severity.
  • Some very ill adults will have to go into nursing homes instead of being cared for at home (because private duty nursing rates would be reduced);
  • Capping services for brain injury patients at 5 hours a day; podiatry services will also be limited (diabetics will continue to receive podiatry services)
  • Health services and prescription drugs could be withheld if you can’t afford the co-pay. Currently pharmacists and providers must still serve you, even if you can’t meet the co-pay – but
  • DHS may ask the federal government to waive this protection.
  • Large increase in co-payments within the Drugs for the Elderly Program.
  • If you have a new Medicare discount card and are under 135% of the poverty level, you will have to use up the $600 Medicare benefit before you qualify for the Drugs for the Elderly Program.
  • Increasing the amount of out-of-pocket expenses in the Drugs for the Elderly Program from $1,000 up to $1,200 before you qualify for catastrophic coverage.

Here are some things you can do
to help stop these cuts:

  1. Speak Out! On Thursday, January 15th at 1:30 PM there will be a public hearing in Room 228 of the State House. The legislature needs to understand cutting services to Maine’s neediest people is not acceptable. It is so important that legislators hear from the people that these cuts will affect. Please contact Jaime at 1-800-838-0388 or jderrico@mainecahc.org if you are willing to speak out against these cuts at the public hearing on Thursday.
  2. Send Your Story! If you are unable to make it to the public hearing on Thursday, but would like to tell the legislators 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.
  3. 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:
  4. Email Your Legislators! The following committee members will be hearing the proposed cuts to MaineCare. Send them an email to let them know that you oppose these cuts. Sample message: Dear Senator/Representative (their name). My name is (your name) and I live in (your town’s name), Maine. I want you to know that I am against the proposed cuts to MaineCare, and I urge you to OPPOSE these cuts. They are unacceptable and unfairly burden Maine’s elderly, disabled, and low-income residents. Thank you.

Please call 1-800-838-0388 or email jderrico@mainecahc.org for more information.

Thank you!

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