[SheLion]

Anyone have any thoughts on this????

[SheLion]

Thoughts?

Gov. Baldacci

[Grampa Dave]

Now I know why a lot of Gays are moving from California to retire or work in Maine.

[GiveEmDubya]

Maybe they should call themselves Little Canada.

[Bernard]

If individual states like Maine start providing their own universal health-care, there won't be a need for such a program at the national level. Then everybody can pay their own way, based on how much the allow their state government to spend.

When does Maine stop accepting federal money through Medicaid and Medicare and replace it with Maine money?

[klute]

I'm sure these people will appreciate it:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A21728-2002Oct13?language=printer

[Timesink]

Maine Companies to announce move to New Hampshire Monday

[lelio]

Rep. Janet McLaughlin, D-Cape Elizabeth, who sponsored the newer bill, said Maine's law will be a model for other states.
That is, she hopes it will be a model for other states so that the companies wanting to leave Maine due to higher taxes will have no place left to go.
13% uninsured is pretty high. Odd that the government doesn't want to look into the reasons why it is that way. Perhaps its mostly immigrants from Somali making up this amount. Perhaps its people recently unemployed.
The solution to this isn't to tax everyone to death and have some socialist medicine system in place, the solution is to bring in new industries.

[dixiechick2000]

Is this, as the title states, a true universal health care plan and will the people of Maine be allowed to vote on it?

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

Rep. Janet McLaughlin, D-Cape Elizabeth, who sponsored the newer bill, said Maine's law will be a model for other states

absolutely!!! any state looking for a roadmap to bankruptcy will now just have to pull up maines universal health care law!!!

[AmericaUnited]

Bye,bye Maine!!! Into the fiscal red-ink blankhole ala Kalifornia!

[Consort]

Good idea. It's the only way to prove failure. It will drain the states economy and require large increases in state and local taxes and fees. Everyone from the most Liberal to the most Conservative will milk the system for all they can because Liberals live off other peoples money, and Conservatives, understandably, they will want something for all the money they will have to fork over to pay for the program.

[Lizavetta]

About 13 percent of Maine's population, or about 165,000 people, lacks health insurance.

Whenever the politicians talk about the number of uninsured, I always have to wonder....

How many are uninsured because they are young and healthy and choose not to pay for insurance? Or who would rather spend their money on 'cool' things like cars, vacations, and dinners out? Or who won't buy insurance because they can't afford the $500/month Rolls Royce policies that cover lots of things and yet refuse to buy the $180/month catastrophic care policies because it 'doesn't seem worth it'?

There are many, many reasons why people remain uninsured, and lack of money is only one reason.

[Mamzelle]

re: Gay activists expressed surprise when a bill to extend inheritance rights and next-of-kin status to domestic partners failed to draw opposition at a legislative hearing. )))

Does this also apply to the heteros shacking up? Or would they have to "register" to create this defacto last will and testament?

What a mess in probate...

[John Jorsett]

Anyone have any thoughts on this????

If California's MediCal is any measure, expect rampant fraud and runaway costs. And if I'm an employer, I'm thinking, "Yippee! I can drop that expensive coverage for my employees and they can get it from the state! Ka-ching."

I presume this guy is a Democrat. How's Maine's budget these days? Must have a lot of extra dough lying around to start a program like this.

[PatrioticAmerican]

This will be a fun court challenge.

[Myrddin]

Does the new state flag have a hammer, sickle and condom? Offering universal health care AND being "gay friendly" is a recipe for disaster. The astronomical costs of health care for AIDS infected gays is going to sink the state economy. Watch for massive tax increases to fund the bottomless money pit health care. Shortly after that is announced, watch a mass exodus of businesses.

[fight_truth_decay]

Governor orders officials to stay off national TV.

[jackbill]

About 13 percent of Maine's population, or about 165,000 people, lacks health insurance.

How many of the 13% are making enough money to buy their own health insurance, but have decided that there are other priorities?

When Oregon was voting last year for "universal health insurance", it was shown that 25% of the uninsured made over $75,000 per year. Really, should anyone worry about them?

[GnuHere]

Does it cover arsenic poisoning? /bad taste

[Texas Eagle]

Okay, fine. This is how this country was designed to work. Each state is its own laboratory. Let's see how well universal health care works in Maine before we go foisting it upon the entire country.