Rural Mainers encouraged to ask Congressional delegation to support health care reform

    Maine — In a conference call discussion Oct. 20, a panel of Maine residents and experts on rural health care issues discussed the problems and concerns faced by rural residents and health care providers, both in Maine and nationwide. The panel also discussed the ways provisions in the upcoming health care reform bill in Congress might be able to address these concerns, if Maine’s Congressional delegation can be convinced to support them.     The call was organized by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers (AFSCME) and was part of a nationwide day of action, with participants from across the country and from all walks of life telling Congress that it is time to deliver on health care reform.
    “Rural communities, like the ones where so many of us live in Maine, are disproportionately impacted by the failures of our current healthcare system. That means they also stand to benefit much more from reform, especially a plan that includes a public option,” said Dr. Wayne Myers, of Waldoboro, a nationally-recognized expert on rural health care issues who currently serves as the chair of Maine’s Rural Health Working Group. “Rural economies around the country, and especially in Maine, are predominantly based on self-employment and small business. Americans from these areas are more likely to be purchasing individual insurance plans. Consequently, they pay 22 percent more for their healthcare and are 70 percent more likely to be underinsured than their urban counterparts.”
     The discussion also featured several health care consumers from communities around Maine. Andrea Bard Smith is a public school bus driver and AFSCME member from Presque Isle. She talked about the poor access and high costs she faces.
    “My family needs the kind of reform I’ve heard President Obama talking about,” she said, “We travel hours for most medical care; we pay more and more every year, and my 19-year-old has a pre-existing condition. I’m afraid for what the future will hold if Congress does not pass real reform this year. I know my situation isn’t unique and I hope everyone with a story like mine calls Congress and demands real change,” said Bard.
     Many of the shortcomings of America’s current health care system are particularly visible in rural areas, where problems can be compounded. It is more difficult to attract doctors to small communities, where it might be more difficult for them to pay off their university debt. Medical equipment in rural hospitals may similarly be inadequate or out of date. To make matters worse, smaller, less-urbanized states suffer from even greater insurance market concentration than average. The result is plans that are more expensive and cover less, as well as provider networks that further restrict the already limited choices of doctors and hospitals.
     “Maine is a poster child for why we need a public option,” said Marianne von Nordeck, an organizer from AFSCME, “Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s near monopoly over the health care market here means they can charge whatever they want and cover as little as possible. If Mainers want a better option than that, they need to reach out to Representative Michaud, along with Sens. Snowe and Collins, and tell them Anthem needs some real competition to keep them honest.”
     In Maine’s Second Congressional District alone, reform with a strong public option would mean 8,100 fewer seniors falling through the Medicare Part D donut hole; 740 families every year avoiding health care-related bankruptcy; an additional $140 million every year for rural doctors and health care providers for currently uncompensated care; and 72,000 uninsured individuals would gain access to high-quality, affordable health insurance.
      Without reform, the average family premium in Maine will rise from $14,285 to $24,376 by 2019.
     “A public option is an absolute necessity,” concluded Myers. “Without it, quality, affordable health care will continue to be out of reach for most rural Mainers.”