Gov. LePage made a rare appearance in a legislative hearing room this week and was not shy about saying that he didn’t like what he saw.

The governor was critical of lawmakers asking too many questions of his human services commissioner, Mary Mayhew.

“She sits at that table,” the governor said. “She’s asked a gazillion questions, none of which will lead to a solution. I was choking.”

Perhaps Gov. LePage should have listened to Appropriations Committee co-chairman Rep. Patrick Flood of Winthrop, who like LePage is a Republican.

“We’re trying very hard to understand the realities of the problem that do exist or might exist,” Flood said during Tuesday’s work session, which is exactly what the panel should be doing.

LePage may be impatient with the process, but questions are the least he should expect when he proposes a major restructuring of the health safety net that would deny health insurance to 65,000 Mainers, and cut back on benefits for thousands more, including children, elders, veterans and working families.

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The ripple effect of such cuts would be felt throughout the state’s economy, which could result in higher insurance rates and some providers being forced out of business. That doesn’t even address the human cost to people who would be denied health care.

Asking questions is exactly what legislators should be doing, and it is appropriate to probe deeply into the administration’s claims about the crisis and its causes as well as the governor’s proposed solutions. He might not like hearing questions about, for instance, the legality of his proposal, which would require a federal waiver that has never been granted to any state, but those questions should be answered before any change is made.

So far, what we have seen is the LePage plan. Now it’s time for lawmakers from both parties and all regions of the state to work on the right plan for Maine.

That process that can appear to be maddeningly slow, but it’s the one the state constitution requires. The governor should be prepared to show some patience with it and some respect.


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