Maine: LD 1397 "An Act To Establish a Single-payor Health Care System To Be Effective in 2017

[Shallah Kali]

LD 1397 (HP 1026)
"An Act To Establish a Single-payor Health Care System To Be Effective in 2017"
http://www.mainelegislature.org/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=280041060

GO MAINE!

[MichellesBFF]

1. So where am I moving in 2017?

Maine or Vermont? Hmmm, decisions...

[Shagbark Hickory]

2. MAybe this will help you make up your mind...

Southern Maine is closer to more major hospitals and airports. The climate is somewhat more moderated if you're near the ocean. And I'm just guessing here but I'd imagine the real estate is cheaper. And closer to the tax free shopping in the major population center of nh.

[avebury]

4. Maine is an expensive place to live in

I would not jump to the conclusion that Maine is a less expensive place to live then New Hampshire. Property taxes are rather high in southern Maine. The state also collects both income and sales tax. Groceries, gasoline, heating oil and other goods are expensive in both states as you have to haul stuff as they are both up in the NE corner of the country. Maine has lost a lot of its manufacturing base and the fishing industry isn't doing as well as it once was.

I grew up in Maine and it is a great place to raise a family due to the slower pace of life and availability of outdoor recreational activites. However, I don't even want to guess what it will be like once Gov. Lepage gets through with it. I have no desire to go back now.

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. I'm not making the case either are inexpensive places to live.

I suspect many medical refugees will only buy the smallest, cheapest piece of land or other property for an official residence to get the benefits but actually live somewhere else. I'm curious to know how either vt or me will be able to effectively prevent this from happening.

[cali]

7. please see my post #6. And btw, as far as hospitals go

Vermonter have access to 2 excellent hospitals- Fletcher Allen and Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

[cali]

6. no way this legislation has even the slimmest chance of passing in Maine

Maine has a very wingnut guv and a repuke controlled senate and house. It has 2 repug senators. Vermont has a very liberal dem governor and big dem majorities in its house and senate. While Maine has been on the move with one piece of regressive shit after another, Vermont has been moving aggressively in a progressive direction- not just single payer, but workers rights, national vote, death with dignity, marijuana dispensaries, etc. If you're looking to move to a liberal state, it's no contest.

[Shagbark Hickory]

9. I was also surprised to learn of this bill.

But like california and other blue states, most people can't actually live in vt as much as many of us would like to.
We've had this discussion before.

[cali]

10. sure, but why push Maine as a liberal state when it's not?

Most people can't actually live in Maine either and at this point, politically, it's a mess.

[Shagbark Hickory]

11. Did I say Maine was liberal?

Maine was a blue state in the last few presidential elections but that has nothing to do with the discussion of where to move if you want health coverage and desire to remain a u.s. citizen.

[PotatoChip]

12. Not so fast

Despite all appearances, I wouldn't be writing Maine off as a lost cause. The southern part of the state, which holds the vast majority of voters is (mostly) liberal, some places being very much so, such as Maine's largest city, Portland. Overall, despite the (sparsely populated) rural republican north, a few coastal enclave holdouts, and a huge number of indy voters, Maine is a left leaning state.

I'd like to think that the 2010 midterm elections were an anomaly. Many liberals did not turn out to vote- not blaming, just saying. Plus, the GOP propaganda machine was working overtime, the state Dems were not on the ball, and there was also an odd alignment of Gubernatorial candidates that proved to be disastrous.

It could happen in Vermont too. Always be on guard and never underestimate your enemy.

[Merlot]

13. Ad California to your list!

SB810 Single Payer for CA was vetoed twice by arnie, now we have it coming up for the third round and Gov. Jerry Brown in office.

[PotatoChip]

3. The fact that this was sent to the comm. of Insurance and Financial services

instead of the committee of Health and Human Services does not bode well for this piece of legislation. That committee is loaded w/insurance lobbyists which is probably why it was sent there.

Not that it would have mattered anyway. Single payer efforts were attempted and failed in Maine in 1999 and 2001 back when the state had Dem. majorities in both chambers and an Independent Gov. This attempt has even less of a chance with a R House, Senate and Governor. :-(

However, I applaud the effort and Rec'd the thread.

[raccoon]

5. K&R. nt