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Nurses rally in Portland against proposed Medicaid cuts in the budget bill

Maine nurses rally outside of Senator Susan Collins' Portland office on July 1st, 2025.
Madi Smith
/
Maine Public
Maine nurses rally outside of Senator Susan Collins' Portland office on July 1, 2025.

Nurses rallied in Portland Tuesday against the proposed Medicaid cuts in the budget bill that passed the Senate.

Nurse Jodi Freedman said the cuts will prevent many Mainers from receiving the care they need.

"Most of the patients on Medicaid are the underserved and the underinsured. They're our veterans, our children, our disabled, the elderly that need care in nursing homes, people with mental illness. So it's really important that we keep care for all those people," Freedman said.

Jodi Freedman, a nurse at Maine Medical Center, said the cuts are devastating, not just for patients but for nurses who want to help them.

"Nurses care for patients every day. That's the heart of nursing, and we don't, it doesn't matter to us what insurance you have or what your status is. We just want to take care of you," Freedman said.

Organizers visited Senator Susan Collins' Portland office after the rally ended to thank her for voting no on the bill, which now moves back to the house.

Journalist Madi Smith is Maine Public's Emerging Voices Journalism Fellow this year and is sponsored by support from the Abbagadassett Foundation.