Maine Democratic Party

Press Releases

Pingree joins national health care group to highlight number of Mainers without health insurance

March 27, 2009
For immediate release
Contact: Willy Ritch 207-841-8400

Today Congresswoman Chellie Pingree joined Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, and Joseph Ditre, Executive Director of Augusta-based Consumers for Affordable Healthcare on a conference call to discuss a new report about how many people in Maine are without health insurance.

The report, released today, found that 280,000 people--1 in 4 people under age 65--went without health care insurance over the last two years.   (Details of the report attached.)

Pingree said the report reinforces what she's heard from people around the state. "I've talked to so many people who don't have health insurance or who have $5,000 or $10,000 deductibles. I've met with so many small business owners who can't afford health care for their employees. It's a crushing burden."

Pollack said the number of people without health insurance "is worse than an epidemic. Meaningful health care reform can no longer be kept on the back burner."

Pingree pointed to the new unemployment figures released yesterday as further evidence for the critical need for health care reform:   "With unemployment now up to 8% in Maine, it means there are just that many more people who have lost the job that provided their health insurance," she said.

Pingree said she was glad to see the President include $630 billion for a "down payment" on health care reform in his budget proposal. "People sometimes ask ‘how can we afford it?'" Pingree said.   "We've gotten to the point where we have to ask ourselves ‘how can afford to do nothing?'"

Ditre said his organization has seen an increase in the number of calls to their consumer help line that corresponds to the Families USA report. Calls in 2008, Ditre said, were up 35% over 2007. And so far this year, calls rates are running 50% above 2007 levels.

This week Pingree joined Congressman Chris Van Hollen to introduce legislation that would allow states like Maine to extend discount drug pricing to more Maine families. More info on that legislation is here:

http://pingree.house.gov/2009/03/pingree-van-hollen-introduce-discount-prescription-drug-plan.shtml

Earlier this year Pingree managed procedural debate in the House for the extension of the SCHIP program, which preserves health care coverage for 31,000 Maine children. Last month, Pingree voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is subsidizing 65% of COBRA payments for people who have lost their jobs but want to retain employer-provided health insurance.

Press Room

Press Releases