LePage to wait before implementing ACA provisions
Gov. Paul LePage said he will wait to make any state policy decisions related to the Affordable Care Act until after the election in November. He said the federal government needs to provide clarification on the implementation of certain provisions before the state can move ahead.
The state is required to set up a health insurance exchange by 2014 to help people and small businesses buy insurance, or else the federal government will set up the exchange. States must submit the first paperwork related to the exchange by Nov. 16, according to the Bangor Daily News. LePage told Capitol News Service he hasn't made a decision on the issue, but said he thought the federal government should be charged with establishing the state's exchange because it would be less expensive.
The act also expands eligibility for Medicaid, but the Supreme Court ruling said it was unconstitutional for the government to withhold funding should states not comply with that provision. LePage said he has not yet made a decision on this issue either, but said he doesn't feel Maine can expand Medicaid because the state is already over budget for Medicaid spending.
LePage also told the news service there's a possibility that, following November elections, the act will be repealed.
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