Maine Enacts Universal Access To Health Coverage Plan
First In The Nation Law May Be A Model For Other States

by Joseph P. Ditré, Esq., Ex. Dir.,
Consumers for Affordable Health Care
Last updated on 6/1/04

Politics in Brief

Maine's Governor, John Baldacci, made universal access to health care coverage the centerpiece of his 2002 election campaign. He made clear that the time for studying the problem was over and that he would present a plan for enactment within the first four months of his administration. The tight, and sometimes frenetic, timetable proved critical to propel the bill forward in the face of numerous attempts by hospitals, insurers and some employers to derail and delay it. The Democratic leadership in the House and Senate were likewise committed to passing universal access legislation. This is a point that cannot be overemphasized. Without Democratic control of the Governor's office and both bodies of the Legislature, the plan would not have succeeded in its final form and key components (comprehensive benefits, employer contribution amounts, cost controls, and insurance regulations) would have been greatly compromised.

Given Maine's health insurance and health care costs crises, past opponents of health reform efforts either became supporters of Dirigo Health or were neutralized. The Maine Chamber of Commerce supported Dirigo Health because growing hospital costs were hurting the bottomline of the Chamber's larger members. The NFIB testified "neither for nor against" because small businesses whose owners could no longer afford coverage for themselves - let alone their employees - were demanding action. Maine's two largest hospitals, buoyed by their consolidated positions, stayed out of the debate. The Maine Hospital Association and some of its smaller members were the most vocal opponents of the plan. The Maine Medical Association opposed the plan because of the extension of the Certificate of Need laws to ambulatory surgical centers. A last minute attempt to delay the plan by a large local chamber failed because they advocated the status quo over a solidly grounded reform effort that is voluntary for small businesses.

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