President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress are putting pens to paper right now, deciding exactly how much Medicaid (MaineCare) to take away from all 50 states.
We know many Mainers are very frightened by the possibility of losing their health insurance through MaineCare. We also know Maine people, and a broad group of organizations, businesses, and elected officials, will fight like hell to prevent that.
When we work together, we can win, and we want everyone to know about the efforts of two amazing MEJ advocates who recently visited Capitol Hill.
In April, long-time advocates Kathy Stewart and Susan Kiralis (who is also on our Board of Directors!) traveled to Washington D.C. along with MEJ Policy Advocate Alex Carter and MEJ Organizing Director Kate Brennan to urge lawmakers not to take away health care and food assistance from families like theirs to pay for more tax breaks for the wealthy.
You may recognize Kathy and Susan’s names because they are both community leaders in the effort to expand Medicaid and protect SNAP and other federally-funded programs that meet Mainers’ basic needs. Here are the powerful stories of everyday Mainers they told to our Members of Congress (plus photos from the trip!).
Kathy's Story:
Kathy Stewart is a self-employed hairdresser, mother, and grandmother from Waterville who uses MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program) for her health insurance. After being diagnosed with emphysema, Stewart needed an oxygen machine. She lost her health insurance after the LePage Administration cut MaineCare in 2017 and was unable to afford her oxygen —a development that ultimately led to additional health complications.
In 2018, Governor Janet Mills implemented Medicaid expansion on her first day in office and Stewart regained her health coverage and was once again able to obtain oxygen.
“My story is not much different than a lot of working class folks who cannot afford health insurance. I’m truly grateful to qualify for Medicaid. It upsets me that there are millionaires, billionaires, and corporations that don’t pay their fair share. I asked our Members of Congress to please do ALL you can to stop cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and vote against tax breaks for the wealthy.”
(Kathy also recently shared her story with That's Medicaid - check it out here!)
Susan's Story:
Susan Kiralis is a small business owner and mother of two from Vasselboro. She runs a home-based business selling indigenous crafts and herbs and is finishing a degree in Justice Studies at the University of Maine at Augusta. Her goal is to work with at-risk youth who face economic challenges. She also serves on our Board of Directors and ASPIRE Leadership Team advocating for policies and legislation to improve lives for Maine families with low income.
“It was exciting to be in Washington, D.C. representing Maine in the fight to make billionaires pay their fair share in taxes. Families across Maine are doing their part every day, it’s time the ultra-wealthy did too. Programs like SNAP, Medicaid and Social Security are a lifeline for mothers and children I know in Maine. Targeting them for cuts shows a lack of value for their lives and it creates uncertainty for families every day.”
The Trump Administration and their allies in Congress are pushing a budget agenda that drastically cuts funding for Medicaid (MaineCare) and SNAP. As House Republicans cast their votes for the harmful budget blueprint, Stewart and Kiralis demonstrated outside the Capitol for tax fairness alongside hundreds of advocates from around the country.
Committees are now working to cut billions of dollars from federal programs – cuts that are impossible to achieve without shifting costs to states and taking health insurance and SNAP benefits away from millions of people. The House is expected to vote on the final budget reconciliation before Memorial Day (May 26).
How to get involved:
CALL TODAY. Calls are the most effective way to help! Share your health care story. Or simply let them know that cutting Medicaid and SNAP in order to give tax breaks to billionaires is unacceptable and would hurt Mainers!
SHARE your health care story (and you can let us know exactly how you want it to be used, whether it’s privately with elected officials, anonymously, or publicly.)
SIGN UP to stay in touch on health care issues, if you’re not on our email list yet!
P.S. Kathy and Susan aren’t the only MEJ advocates who have made it down to Capitol Hill for some federal advocacy this spring!
In March, Selma, Belinda and Kate also traveled to Washington, D.C. for a housing conference and to meet with our Members of Congress and share their stories about housing. Belinda and Selma are both members of the MEJ Housing Leadership Team and Belinda is also on our Board. Stay tuned for a recap of their trip!
Maine Equal Justice focuses its work on many of the issues that affect people’s daily lives – access to adequate health care, housing, transportation and childcare; food and income security; and higher education and training. Maine Equal Justice is a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization. Our EIN is 04-3346273. 