Lincoln County Democrats will meet Wednesday, Nov. 20 to discuss the issue of Medicaid expansion in Maine and specifically in Lincoln County.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), states can receive federal funds in order to expand Medicaid coverage to eligible individuals whose income falls between 100 percent and 138 percent of the poverty line. The LePage administration has refused to accept this money and the governor vetoed a bill in the last legislature to accept it. A Democratic attempt to override the veto fell two votes short.

Meanwhile pressure is growing across the country to approve Medicaid expansion. Republican governors of Ohio, New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania, among others, have already changed their positions and now support expansion. The New Hampshire legislature is poised to approve expansion in a special session in December, which would make Maine the lone holdout in New England.

The Maine Center for Economic Policy (MeCEP) has estimated that 69,500 Mainers would benefit from Medicaid expansion and that over 1,800 of them would be Lincoln County residents. This could mean an additional $6.67 million in benefits by 2016 for Lincoln County residents alone. At the same time, the MeCEP has estimated that the inflow of federal dollars to Maine under expansion could create as many as 3,400 new jobs in the state.

To speak on the full impact of Medicaid expansion and the potential benefits to Lincoln County residents, Lincoln County Democrats have invited Caroline Ginsberg of the Maine Peoples’ Alliance and a representative of Maine Equal Justice. The political dynamics which have heretofore prevented adoption of expansion and the prospects for action in the upcoming legislature will be addressed by State Senator Chris Johnson of Somerville. Shenna Bellows, the only announced Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, is also scheduled to participate in the discussion and to update Lincoln County Democrats on her campaign.

All interested Lincoln County residents are welcome to attend the meeting which will be held at the Newcastle Community Room at the fire station on River Road in Newcastle, Wednesday, Nov. 20 beginning at 6:30 p.m. For further information, please contact Dean Curran at 207-380-5103.