Pat McGowan’s 2020 Vision for Health Care
This year, the federal government passed sweeping health care reform legislation. Because of progressive policy actions in the last ten years, Maine is well positioned to take advantage of these federal reforms for the benefit of its citizens. Ten years in the future, the health of Maine citizens, and the health of the Maine economy, will depend on how swiftly the next governor acts to seize this opportunity. Pat McGowan has the clearest plan – a 2020 Vision – for expanding health insurance coverage, controlling costs, and improving quality.
Maintain and expand public health insurance coverage
As a result of long-standing and innovative policies, the percentage of uninsured Maine citizens is only about 10%, compared with 15% nationally. When it comes to health care, however, leaving 125,000 Mainers without coverage is unacceptable. Pat has a plan to move Maine to universal coverage within ten years. Maine must maintain and expand its successful partnership with the federal government to cover all children and low income adults. With the help of enhanced subsidies that are part of the federal health care reform plan, Maine will be able to affordably accomplish this, with the State’s General Fund paying nothing for three years and only 10% of the cost thereafter. Pat’s proposals will maintain and expand existing coverage, substantially reducing the number of uninsured Mainers within his first term and achieving universal coverage within ten years.
Create a health insurance exchange for small businesses and individuals
In 2003, Gov. Baldacci started the Dirigo Health program in an attempt to expand the availability of affordable of health insurance for individuals and small businesses. While Dirigo Health has not achieved many of its goals, it has provided incremental benefits to Maine citizens, currently covering 30,000 individuals in our state. In the coming years, Dirigo will be transformed into the platform for creating the federally-mandated health insurance exchange for Maine. Once elected, Pat will immediately move to make Maine the first state in the nation to open an exchange, offering affordable insurance products through competitive private insurance companies to individuals and small businesses. Pat will also propose legislation to have the new exchange partner with the state and federal governments to provide subsidies, on a sliding scale, to all uninsured people in Maine.
Develop innovative pilot programs to better manage care, contain costs, and improve quality
While Maine has been a leader in providing health insurance broadly to its citizens, it has not done as well at containing costs and managing care. Rising health care costs remain a burden on Maine people and a barrier to economic growth. The federal government is currently entertaining proposals from various states that wish to experiment with new and innovative programs to contain health care costs. As Governor, Pat will advocate to make Maine a pilot site for a new system of care management. Under Pat’s proposal, health care providers will only make more money when they make Maine people healthier. His proposal will include a new payment model based on quality criteria proposed and measured by the Maine Quality Forum, along with expanded use of electronic medical records through the Health InfoNet system.
Improve Maine’s long-term care infrastructure
By 2020, the number of people in Maine older than 85 will double. Currently, our state is unprepared for this looming problem, but, as Governor, Pat will propose an overhaul of Maine’s long-term care system to help address it. Pat will work to expand the utilization of affordable home care services in all areas of Maine, allowing the state’s elderly to stay comfortably and safely in their homes for longer, whether they live in Kittery or Fort Kent. For those patients facing more chronic and acute health problems, however, Pat is committed to maintaining sufficient access to residential care facilities and nursing homes. In order to maintain existing capacity, Maine must provide adequate funding for the small business owners who operate nursing homes.
