Obamacare repeal threatens rural hospitals

To the Editor;
We all can guess what will happen to the 80,000 Mainers who obtained medical insurance under the Affordable Care Act when the Republicans repeal it. Our neighbors, friends and family members who received coverage as a result of the act will go without medical insurance, jeopardizing their health and their pocketbooks. That much is clear.

But I never really thought about the impact of repeal on Maine’s rural hospitals and their communities until I heard a Maine Public report about a meeting that hospital administrators from rural communities had with U.S. Sen. Angus King.

One hospital CEO predicted that repeal of the act would be devastating on his hospital, where 8 percent of its patients are covered by the act. Providing care to newly uninsured patients will increase costs for hospitals, forcing them to reduce or cut services leading to cuts in staffing.

Hospitals in many of our rural communities often are their largest employers, as is the case in Greenville. Layoffs in the health care sector will be devastating and will further delay the economic recovery of rural communities. The Maine Public report also explained that repeal of the act will threaten its drug discount program for rural hospitals, further eroding the financial stability of our hospitals.

Given this information, I wonder why our elected representatives are intent on repealing the act? I say improve it at the national level, don’t repeal it. Here in Maine, we should expand Medicaid to 70,000 eligible Mainers. Affordable health care for all, it seems to me, is essential for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

John Contreni
Greenville