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Ambureen Rana of Bangor represents House District 21. Prior to becoming a lawmaker, she served the community as an organizer and direct service provider.
LD 199, the bill to provide MaineCare to all Mainers with qualifying low incomes — regardless of immigration status – would provide much needed fairness, equity and simplicity to our Medicaid program. Based on the heartfelt stories I’ve heard in support of the bill from parents, workers, health care providers and advocates from across the state, it is abundantly clear that the time for this legislation is now.
As the proud daughter of immigrants, I want to share my story with you. My father came to the United States in 1973. He spent the majority of his life — nearly 50 years — here. This is where he started his business and raised his family. This was his home.
When my father left Pakistan, his goal was to ensure that his siblings were taken care of. Their parents passed away when they were young, so he took on the role of caretaker.
It took 30 years, but through hard work, piles of paperwork and most of our savings, he was able to bring all of his siblings to New England so he could care for them close to home. Many of his siblings were able to build lives of their own and move out of our home once they were secure enough to do so.
Due to developmental disability, two of his siblings stayed in our home. Three years after my father brought his siblings to Maine, he suffered a major, debilitating stroke. My mother took over caring for the entire family and our small business.
My aunt and my uncle studied hard to become U.S. citizens, overcoming the barriers of disabilities that made learning difficult. They were so proud to take their oath of citizenship in 2014.
I look back on how different our story might have been if they hadn’t had MaineCare access. Would my uncle have made it to the hospital and gotten proper treatment after suffering a heart attack? Would my aunt have survived an infection that led to sepsis? Would we have been able to pay for their medical bills or been shouldered with huge debts?
Today, too many people in Maine can’t afford the care they need to thrive. Including funding for LD 199 in the state budget would help to close a small, but unjust gap in our MaineCare system and return Maine to its longstanding practice of greater inclusion.
Ultimately, this initiative would continue building on Maine’s health care progress that began with Medicaid expansion, and repair a health care system that is divided along complex and ever-evolving immigration lines. It would mean increased reimbursements for our hospitals and clinics and it would help prevent untold tragedies through affordable medicine or regular preventive medical care.
Just as we have seen with Medicaid expansion, helping more people afford health care will also help our workforce and our economy. Immigrants in Maine contribute nearly $200 million in state and local taxes each year. They pay into a healthcare system that they are not allowed to access. This is unfair and tragically short-sighted.
As we wait for Congress to make the necessary federal reforms to our broken immigration system, providing health care to our essential workers and community members is something we can do now.
Mainers voted overwhelmingly to expand Medicaid and the Maine Legislature has honored the will of the voters. It is time to finish what we started and make sure all Mainers have the health care they need and deserve. I’m calling on my fellow legislators to prioritize funding for LD 199. We don’t have time to spare when our constituents are struggling without the care they need.
LD 199 is the choice for equity, prosperity and a health care system that works better for all of us — no exceptions, no exclusions.
