Dear Editor:

Representative Stephanie Hawke has turned out to be a huge disappointment for our district. She and a handful of Republicans are trying to convince people that Medicaid is welfare, not health insurance.

The Health Insurance Association of America describes Medicaid as a "government insurance program for persons of all ages whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for health care." Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States including the elderly.

If you get health insurance from the ACA, do you consider it welfare? If your employer provides health insurance, do you consider it welfare? This is the only developed country that considers healthcare a privilege.

The bottom line for us is that a few folks who don't care about their neighbors want to use words to demonize those who work hard and still can't afford health insurance. Sixty-four percent of children enrolled in Medicaid live in a family with at least one full-time worker. They can use the word “welfare” to try and get us to think “lazy, doesn't want to work” but it's not true. Medicaid also offers benefits to the elderly not normally covered by Medicare, like nursing home care and personal care services.

If you're worried about the $54 million annual price tag consider the fact that the expansion would draw down $525 million each year in federal matching funds and save the state an estimated $27 million a year in costs once fully implemented.

Representative Hawke, we hope you'll reconsider your position on Medicaid expansion and help those who deserve and need it.

Francine and Tom Rondina

East Boothbay