Several dozen Maine Medical Center nurses and supporters rallied outside U.S. Sen. Susan Collins' office in Portland Thursday afternoon to protest potential Medicaid cuts.
Republicans in Congress are looking for hundreds of billions of dollars to cut from the federal budget to pay for the Trump administration's $4.5 trillion tax agenda. Medicaid is viewed a potential avenue for the cuts, because it's one of the largest government benefit programs.
Nearly 25% of Mainers, or roughly 355,000 people, receive health coverage through Medicaid.
Kirsten Lane, a Maine Medical Center emergency room nurse, said cuts of any kind would harm Maine's most vulnerable people.
"People with chronic illnesses would not be getting the preventative care they need," Lane said. "We would see a lot of people showing up to the hospital sicker. We would see a lot of hospital crowding. We would see long wait times in the emergency room."
A small group of nurses delivered a symbolic "check" for more than $4.5 billion, meant to represent the funds that could be diverted from health care to wealthy Americans who might benefit from the Trump administration's tax cuts, organizers with the Maine State Nurses Association said.
Lane said the group gathered to remind Collins, a Republican, that her constituents in Maine would not benefit from any reductions in Medicaid.
In a statement, Collins, pointed to her support for five measures in a recent Senate budget proposal that were aimed at preventing Medicaid cuts. Despite her support, four of the five amendments ultimately did not receive enough votes to be included in the final budget proposal.
“Medicaid is a critically important program for Maine’s health care system and a vital resource for many seniors, low-income families and disabled patients, as well as for the providers who care for them," Collins said. "I’m committed to protecting Mainers who need access to Medicaid, which is why I supported five measures during the vote on the Senate budget proposal to prevent harmful Medicaid cuts.”
