Maine Candidates Split Over MaineCare and Rural Hospital Funding

Candidates for Maine governor and Congress laid out competing approaches to health care funding, MaineCare payments and rural hospital closures in interviews with WMTW's Maine's Total Coverage, which surveyed viewers on their top midterm issues.

Almost 1,000 Mainers lost health coverage because of changes that took effect on Oct. 1, WMTW reported, and the next Legislature will decide whether to add funding for MaineCare when lawmakers return in January.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Rick Bennett said the state's cash balance allows it to stop delaying payments to hospitals and behavioral health centers. "As governor, the top thing I can do is pay our providers on time and fairly," he said. Republican Bobby Charles also called for on-time reimbursement and faulted the state over travel distances to fill prescriptions. Democrat Hannah Pingree pointed to the Rural Health Transformation Grant and recruiting primary care doctors for northern Maine and Washington County.

In the U.S. Senate race, Susan Collins said she secured a $50 billion rural health care fund in the budget bill she voted against. Democrat Troy Jackson said his top priority is Medicare for all.

In the 2nd District, Democrat Matt Dunlap backed a universal system with negotiated prices, while Republican Paul LePage said universal coverage would drive more closures and cited physician recruitment in Presque Isle and Calais. In the 1st District, Chellie Pingree supports Medicare for all; Republican Ron Russell opposes it.

This story was first reported by WMTW.