Health Care

Everyone has the right to health care, but far too many Mainers cannot afford the care they need. Eight percent of Maine people have no health coverage, and many more struggle to afford the cost of care even with insurance. The U.S. health care system is broken, inefficient and inequitable, but in Maine we continue to work to improve health care access and affordability.

health care now sign

Maine’s economy, our hospitals, and our families are all stronger and more resilient when everyone can get access to the care they need, when they need it. Health care supports our physical and mental wellbeing and is necessary for people to work and go to school successfully. Health care helps Maine people and communities thrive.

Some Mainers suffer significant health disparities and are more likely to face barriers to adequate and affordable health care. Health disparities between racial and ethnic groups have been identified in Maine. Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other people of color are less likely to have access to quality, affordable health care. Certain immigrants are ineligible for MaineCare coverage that helps people with low income access health care. Until 2011, Maine provided coverage to most immigrants, but cuts made by the LePage Administration made some ineligible for MaineCare. While MaineCare is providing more services for LGBTQ+ individuals, they still experience health disparities and barriers to adequate, affordable health care.

Maine Equal Justice works to advance access to high-quality affordable health care for all. Working toward universal health care means closing gaps in coverage wherever possible and making sure those who have access to public health care programs, like MaineCare, don’t lose any of the services they need.

MaineCare (Medicaid)

Maine’s Medicaid program (MaineCare) provides lifesaving health coverage for approximately one in six low-income adults and four in nine children from low-income families. The number of Mainers covered by MaineCare is growing because Maine voters passed Medicaid expansion in 2017.

Helpful links:

MaineCare Eligibility Guide A comprehensive guide from Maine Equal Justice and Consumers for Affordable Health Care (CAHC) to how MaineCare works, who’s covered, services provided, and more. Updated September 2019.
Maine's Medical Assistance Programs - Who's Covered, And Who's Not
Chart of MaineCare programs and who each program serves. (updated: February 2017)

MaineCare Expansion:

MaineCare Expansion: A snapshot of who is gaining coverage
MaineCare Has Expanded: Who is eligible with expanded MaineCare? How do you apply? Get the facts.
The Real Impact of Medicaid Expansion in Maine by Elizabeth H. Kilbreth, PhD, September 2017
Estimated Budget Impacts of Expanding MaineCare (Prepared for the Maine Health Access Foundation), by Manatt, February 2018
DHHS: Estate Recovery Overview
LD 1954 Helps More Older Mainers Access Health Care by Removing the Fear of Estate Recovery

“It’s a basic right of everyone to have access to being healthy. It shouldn’t be a privilege for only those born into it or in the right place at the right time. Sickness happens to us all, rich or poor.”

-Erika, Waterville

Health Care

MaineCare (Medicaid)

The Health Insurance Marketplace

Maine Equal Justice

Location