Heath Care Policy and Solutions

Everyone needs access to good quality health care that covers dental, mental health, and substance use disorder supports and services. Working together across our many different backgrounds, we can advance new policy solutions to close the gaps that still exist in our healthcare system.

Health care is at the heart of many of the changes we need to make to create real equity and opportunity in Maine. When Maine adults get care, more Maine kids do too, and whole families can be healthier generation to generation.

We will not stop until affordable health care is a reality for ALL Mainers, including our family, friends, and neighbors who are immigrants. We envision a world where everyone can get the care they need when they need it and differences in health outcomes because of racial discrimination are eliminated. In the Maine Legislature or in Washington, D.C., we champion solutions that recognize an individual’s right to coverage regardless of income, where they live or where they came from.

Many immigrants in Maine who have low incomes can’t get access to MaineCare because of their current immigration status. For many, the only coverage they can currently access is emergency MaineCare, which is extremely limited. Because of this discriminatory policy, many of our family, friends, and neighbors who are immigrants in Maine go without life-saving medication, screenings, and treatments.

In the last few years we’ve made significant progress toward our goals. Here are some of the highlights: 

2024: Postpartum coverage extended to 12 months for everyone who has MaineCare during their pregnancy, including all immigrants. 
This policy changed because of ongoing advocacy with state agencies.   

2022-2023: LD 199 - "An Act to Improve the Health of Maine Residents by Removing Exclusions to the MaineCare Program"
LD 199 would have removed MaineCare exclusions by immigration status. LD 199 passed in the House of Representatives, but though we had strong support from key legislators, the Senate voted it down.  

2021: MaineCare coverage expanded to include kids and pregnant people, regardless of immigration status
In 2021, we worked to pass a bill similar to LD 199. Legislators heard stories from people without health care, health care providers, school staff, faith leaders, social workers, and many others describing the many ways our family, friends, and neighbors who are immigrants struggle without health care. Ultimately, part of the bill passed and was signed into law, expanding access to for people under 21 and pregnant people, regardless of their immigration status. Despite this significant win, many income-eligible adults and elders were left out. 

It’s time to finish what we started by making sure that everyone with low-income can access MaineCare when they need to - no exceptions, no exclusions.

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In 2021, with strong support from the Legislature and the Governor, Maine finally enacted a comprehensive adult dental benefit for our MaineCare program. The big driver of this success is Maine people, who showed up again and again to share their stories and inspire lawmakers to take action. As of July, 2022, more than 200,000 adults have access to a full dental benefit through MaineCare, and Maine should generate an estimated economic return of $21.6 million each year.

Maine faces a shortage of dental professionals, and many people are waiting to find a provider. We continue to work together with MaineCare members, the State of Maine, and dental professionals to make sure the rollout of the new dental benefit is successful. 

Learn more about the benefit.