I am a small-business owner in my 60s, married to a retired Navy physician. I live in a nice house. I chair my municipal political committee. My hobby is knitting.
I am also an alcoholic/addict who was unemployable and lived in someone’s basement for a year. My life changed in 1986 because I qualified for Medicaid and treatment centers were available.
The government invested six months of Medicaid and food stamp funds in me, and in the ensuing years I’ve paid more in taxes than I ever imagined. Moving 4 miles away to New Hampshire would mean a substantial savings in state income taxes, but I choose to stay in Maine.
Mine is not a unique experience. We need to view Medicaid expansion as an investment, not a handout. Vote “yes” on statewide Question 2 to give 70,000 more Mainers the opportunity that I had to recover from a disease and become an asset to their community.
Kathleen Marra
Kittery Point
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