| Health Care to
Cover All Mainers Moves Forward Step by Step— 
Neely Connor, the
daughter of Rep. Gary Connor, helps Governor Baldacci sign one of 18 new healthcare bills
passed during the last session.
By Ramona du
Houx
When the
Clinton administration highlighted the need for healthcare reform in America, a
congressman from Maine listened carefully. Talking to Mainers, he knew it was a major
concern to them. When he became governor he changed Maine’s healthcare system and
created Dirigo Health.
Four and a half
years later the nation has finally woken up to the dire need for healthcare reform.
Maine is
further along the road because Dirigo Health is in place. Governor Baldacci readily admits
that it is a work in progress. It is progress. Healthcare delivery anywhere in America is
a complicated issue. Bringing the different interests and concerned parties together to
discuss the issue is a breakthrough in itself. That was par for the course with the Blue
Ribbon Commission set up by Baldacci, who is known for his gift of bringing everyone to
the table. The commission published a set of recommendations that they concluded would
sustain Dirigo Health and its insurance arm — DirigoChoice.
Dirigo Health
is the commitment of state government to improve the health of all its citizens, "to
make Maine the healthiest state." DirigoChoice worked with Anthem Blue Cross Blue
Shield to cover people. These are of course simplified explanations to what is a complex
system. The point is — Dirigo Health is working, receiving praise from other states.
"While
other states are working against entrenched interests to get their plans off the ground,
Maine is actually insuring about 20,000 people — including small businesses,
self-employed individuals — through Dirigo," said Governor Baldacci. "And
while our plan is controversial here at home, it has received accolades around the country
from other states and impartial observers, like the John F. Kennedy School of Government,
as an innovation leader."
The problem, in
Maine, has been in the perception propagated by an organization set up to discredit Dirigo
Health from Dirigo’s birth — The Maine Heritage Policy Center, a think tank run
by Republicans. Because of this nonprofit’s biased reports, Dirigo has been on the
defensive from the start. The Maine Heritage Policy Center accuses Dirigo of not meeting
expectations; at the same time it has been their misleading statistics that have tarnished
the program in people’s minds, making people doubt and keeping some from enrolling.
Health care represents bottom-line profits for big companies.
Despite the
obstacles, Maine is in the process of creating a healthcare system that will eventually
cover all Mainers. That is a major breakthrough for America.
Health care in
all civilized western nations, except the United States, represents the willingness of a
society to take care of everyone, recognizing we all live together and need to help one
another. Being a profit-oriented system, puts people’s lives at risk. American’s
are crying out for change.
That change is
taking place in Maine step by step.
During the last
legislative session, 18 bills on health care were enacted.
"These
bills together go a long way to accomplishing our most important job — to protect the
health and welfare of the people of Maine," said Baldacci.
The wide array
of legislation increases information about prescription drugs and their costs, while
limiting the ability of pharmaceutical companies to influence a doctor’s decision
about which prescription to use. One bill deals with hearing aids for the young.
"It’s
a major concern. If children can’t hear, then they can’t learn. As a teacher
I’m very aware of that," said Sen. Nancy Sullivan, who said the cost per hearing
aid for just one ear is about $3,000, and children need them changed every year.
"Until
this new law, if you had a mammogram that wasn’t clearly photographed the first time
around, you would have to return to have another x-ray taken, but you would have to pay
for the second x-ray," said Rep. Anne Haskell about her bill that expands coverage
for breast cancer screenings. "Too often women wouldn’t bother."
A new law,
sponsored by Rep. Chris Barstow, extends health coverage, on a parent’s Mainecare
plan, until the age of 25.
One law calls
for reviews to expand access to dental care. Another gives assistance to Mainers with
debilitating diseases such as eating disorders and mental health issues, and another
improves practices that promote HIV testing to help limit the spread of the disease.
"I am
happy to see An Act Concerning Postpartum Mental Health Education signed into law,"
said Rep. Garry Connor who worked on the committee and brought his daughters to the
signing. "During the testimony at the public hearing, I was shocked to learn how
widespread postpartum depression is; it affects one in eight women following the birth of
a baby and is one of the most common consequences of childbirth. This legislation is an
important first step to assure that the disease is diagnosed and promptly treated, so that
mothers of the future, girls like my two daughters, do not needlessly suffer."
LD 431 enables
DirigoChoice to be self-administered, thereby taking the profit motive out of providing
health insurance and cutting costs to enrollees dramatically.
A bill
following the recommendations made by the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Dirigo
Health calls for the investigation of healthcare cost drivers. This legislation
specifically expands the duties of the Advisory Council on Health Systems Development to
identifying specific potential reductions in total healthcare spending without shifting
costs onto consumers.
All the new
laws move Maine forward in its efforts to become "the healthiest state in the
nation."
"These 18
bills provide further evidence that Maine is the leader in healthcare reform and in
efforts to expand access to quality affordable health care," said Baldacci.
"I’m proud of the efforts of the Legislature to take on these issues
successfully."
While Sicko
debuted in movie theaters across the nation, shocking people with the realities of the
inadequacy of America’s healthcare system, people in Maine who understood what Maine
is accomplishing with the objectives of Dirigo Health took solace in the knowledge that
Maine’s healthcare system is moving forward. Hardworking Mainers, who were not
previously covered, because they couldn’t afford health insurance, who have enrolled
in DirigoChoice, have had their cancer treated, and operations that were needed, amongst
other important measures.
DirigoChoice
offers preventive care and enrollment with preexisting conditions. Most insurance agencies
turn down people with preexisting conditions, because they represent a financial loss,
which has led to deaths. The reality is — Dirigo has saved lives. That truth should
not be ignored or belittled by Republican think tanks.
The program faces its greatest
challenge in the upcoming legislative session; it needs to develop a mechanism to become
financially sustainable. Call your representative (287-1430), senator (287-1540), or the
governor (287-3531) and let them know Dirigo has your support.
|
