Edward D. Murphy’s report (“Mainers spent more last year, but with their usual frugality, new federal figures show,” Dec. 2) provided many economic facts to consider.
Of course, averages are tremendously misleading. Can the numbers described as “per capita” possibly be true? Are the numbers actually “per household”? Is an average number used for defining a household?
The costs to households for health care seem particularly significant. How do the political decisions to refuse federal funds for the expansion of MaineCare and to change the household eligibility standard for MaineCare affect these spending statistics?
What is the comparison of health care expenses in states that expanded Medicaid as opposed to those states that refused?
Personally, I discovered that our household of three seniors (two with disabilities) on fixed incomes would have qualified for Medicare Part B coverage in 2013, but did not qualify in 2014 because the Maine Department of Health and Human Services changed the income eligibility standard.
Robert Libby
Chebeague Island
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.