2 days Ago
Maine is on the verge of a health care disaster, and it’s not because of a virus, a flood or a storm. It’s because of a deliberate, avoidable failure of political leadership. And the consequences are already being felt first and hardest in the communities of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.
The refusal by some legislators to pass the state’s supplemental budget is not just a political maneuver. It is a decision that is closing hospitals, eliminating jobs and putting lives at risk across rural Maine. Health care providers have reached out to me as they are making “Plan Bs and Cs,” which often include leaving our state for healthier political and fiscal places.
Let that sink in: lawmakers from District 2 are voting to defund the hospitals and health care centers that serve their own constituents — you. Jeffrey S. Barkin , MD, DLFAPA, is a practicing psychiatrist in Portland and the former president of the Maine Medical Association.
He co-hosts “A Healthy Conversation” on WGAN. Last month, Inland Hospital in Waterville — a critical access hospital — announced it will close completely . MaineGeneral Health, a major provider in the Waterville/Augusta region, just laid off more than 100 staff .
More facilities will follow, particularly in rural Maine. Why? Because many hospitals, clinics, practices, nursing homes and home health agencies have only 35 to 40 days of cash on hand. The Legislature delayed critically needed funding because the supplemental budget did not pass by a two-thirds vote.
By passing it with a simple majority, how long will it take for your health care providers to be paid? Ninety days. Do the math. The impact is catastrophic: fewer beds, fewer providers and fewer services.
This will hit seniors, children, the disabled and families in rural Maine hardest. Ambulances will have farther to travel. Patients will be turned away or sent to overcrowded ERs hours away.
More nursing homes will be forced to shut their doors. This is not hyperbole — it is what is happening already and occurs when funding stops and care can no longer be sustained. This is not about partisanship.
It is about accountability. A vote against the supplemental budget is a vote against your local hospital. It is a vote against the nurses, doctors, aides and therapists who care for you and your family.
It is a vote to defund health care in your own backyard. Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself. The roll call vote is public.
Find out how your elected officials voted here. This is not partisan but rather who has your back. Regardless of party, take note of who did not vote “yes,” write the name down, and bring it to the voting booth on Election Day so at least you know who doesn’t have you or your family’s back.
If your legislator voted “no,” they are taking away your health care. They are directly responsible for the clinic that closes, your doctor and their family leaving, the layoff of your neighbor who works as a nurse and the long drive you’ll make to find a specialist or deliver your baby. We must hold our elected officials accountable, not just with our outrage, but with our votes come November.
Democracy requires participation, and it begins with knowing who represents you and how they act when it matters most. There is no excuse for voting to delay health care funding when lives and livelihoods are on the line. If you live in District 2, this is already happening in your community.
In your county. In your town. Legislative leadership from these districts have chosen politics over people.
They have gambled that you won’t notice. That the closures won’t be blamed on them. That the headlines will fade.
Do not let that happen. There will be time to debate taxes and policy priorities. But right now, Mainers are being asked to suffer, sacrifice and, in some cases, survive without access to care — just so some legislators can score political points.
That is not leadership. That is abandonment. Every day the budget is delayed, more damage is done.
And once health care infrastructure breaks, it doesn’t snap back. Hospitals don’t reopen easily. Nurses and doctors who are laid off don’t wait around — they move on.
Trust is broken. The people of Maine deserve better. The people of District 2 deserve better.
Rural Maine cannot afford to be ignored, abandoned or sacrificed. It’s time to make sure every voter knows who voted to strip health care from their communities, and to remember it when Election Day comes. Save our health care system.
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