Dear Editor:

On Thursday mornings in Augusta, Mainers have been witnessing people standing up for the 25,000 who lost healthcare coverage on December 31, 2013 — of 70,000 total who need MaineCare expansion. Different faith leaders and impacted Mainers join together sharing the burden of those “Lives on the Line” whose stories are read.

We recognize many GOP caucus members have not understood or been sympathetic to those whose illnesses cost more than they can earn. Based on last Thursday’s experience, some believe that private Maine Community Health Options insurance is a viable option for all working families and individuals. Unfortunately, people with incomes at or below poverty do not qualify for subsidy in the health care marketplace — private insurance is beyond their means. Others may not be able to afford marketplace options due to other expenses for housing, heat, childcare food, etc. A Harvard study indicated about 395 deaths could be prevented each year by accepting federal funds expanding MaineCare. Other states (10 with Republican governors) understood this, accepted federal funds and expanded Medicaid.

So we stand, we witness and we sing because it is unconscionable to let victims of major illnesses believe they are without hope. It is unconscionable to leave working parents with critical medication needs having to choose between their health, and putting food on the table, or daycare for their children. It is unconscionable that our tax dollars in the federal budget should be turned away instead of returning to our state to meet the healthcare needs of neighbors whose lives are on the line.

The real choice here is what legacy do you want to leave? Do you stand by and watch a man suffer a massive heart attack because he had no funds to cover $182 life-saving medication, or do you help that man live? By my faith, if I refuse to help, I am no better than a murderer. The same moral and ethical responsibility rests with our politicians, and I am grateful for all who choose life The argument isn’t about money — the argument is about life.

Jarryl Larson
Edgecomb