Maine Providers Standing up for Health Care (MPSUH) is a group of hundreds of Maine healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, behavioral health specialists, advanced practice professionals, dentists, physical therapists, midwives, and concerned citizens advocating for improved health care for the people of Maine. We are proud to collaborate with others who share our vision and values.
Our mission is to inform and influence healthcare policy based on our vast experience caring for the people of Maine.
2019 has been a positive year for health care in Maine!
Since Governor Mills expanded Medicaid in Maine, over 33,000 Mainers now have health insurance, improving their access to basic health care.
LD798 (An Act to Protect Maine Children and Students from Preventable Diseases by Repealing Certain Exemptions from the Laws Governing Immunization Requirements) has become law, restricting immunization exemptions to certain high-risk groups. MPSUH was very active in supporting this legislation, especially testifying before Congress in Augusta.
LD820 (An Act to Prevent Discrimination in Public and Private Insurance Coverage for Pregnant Women in Maine) has become law, requiring Medicaid and private insurers to fund pregnancy terminations, thus ending financial constraints for women seeking terminations. MPSUH testified in Augusta, wrote Op-Eds, and participated in a public demonstration to support this bill. Please read below for our public statement on this topic.
We are working hard to help pass LD1539 (An Act to Provide Maine Children Access to Affordable Health Care) which would increase access to health care for young people. Dr. Chuck Radis led MPSUH in advocating for passage of this bill as it passed both the House and Senate and is currently in appropriations.
MPSUH Public Statement in Support of LD820
We support ending the economically discriminatory practice of insurance companies and MaineCare denying coverage for abortion… Maine statute says that the state shall “not restrict a woman’s exercise of her private decision to terminate a pregnancy before viability…” (Maine State Statute 1598). As healthcare providers, we support access to legal, safe abortion, including access for low-income women and other vulnerable populations. We believe Maine should unlink poverty and pregnancy, both of which affect women more than men. We also believe women and their families are best suited to make the deeply personal and private decisions regarding their pregnancies, in consultation with their healthcare providers. Whether they choose abortion or prenatal care should not be influenced by financial factors. We therefore support LD 820, which would remove financial restrictions to safe, legal abortion for all women.
Dr. Sam Zager speaking at Central Maine Medical Center
Photo credits: Patty Wight, Maine Public
Dr. Elizabeth Rothe addressing the importance of the Affordable Care Act
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