(The following was published in The Portland Daily Sun.)
Independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler critiqued the findings of the Alexander Report — a consultant’s analysis of the costs of expanding MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program — and labeled the conclusions an example of Gov. Paul LePage’s failure to address Maine’s economic needs.
Cutler held a press conference at his campaign headquarters Tuesday to deride the Alexander Report and the governor’s vision just hours before the report’s author and Department of Health and Human Services staff appeared before a legislative panel to discuss the findings of the study. Cutler said the report tries to show that accepting a Medicaid expansion is unsustainable, but he said it’s LePage’s policies that aren’t sustainable.
LePage has failed to show he has a plan to grow Maine’s economy, Cutler said, and by standing by the report, he’s painting a bleak picture of the state’s future.
Last Friday, DHHS released a piece report prepared by the Alexander Group that looked at Medicaid expansion in Maine. The report estimated that implementing the Medicaid expansion could cost the state $807 million during the first 10 years, according to a press release.