In her July 19 letter to the editor, Patricia Jones suggests that it is not possible for a person to advocate for opioid epidemic solutions while opposing Medicaid expansion. Nothing could be further from the truth. Good work gets done when you work together. It’s time to be resourceful and open to all possibilities.

Yes, Medicaid expansion passed at the ballot box; however, there was no price tag, and no funding mechanism. People don’t agree to buy something without knowing the price and how to pay for it. Government shouldn’t, either.

Substance use disorder is a disease of isolation and detachment. There are many pathways to treatment and recovery. Successful recovery happens when family, friends, employers, community and health care professionals come together to help. Through a process of healing, reconciliation and love, lives are stabilized and families are restored. People can live productive lives. It is hard work. No one system holds all the answers. Stability, reliability and sustainability are critical for long-term success.

Still, proponents of Medicaid expansion see it as the be-all and end-all solution. A bill presented late in the session used one-time money to fund expansion. It was $20 million short of the administration’s projection of Maine’s share to draw the federal match.

The worst thing you can do to someone in need of health care is to give them something and then take it away. There was no sustainable solution presented to fund Medicaid expansion. There are other, more affordable solutions available now.

Maine doesn’t have a problem with access to health care; rather, it is uncoordinated, fragmented, with silos that don’t talk or collaborate. I have worked tirelessly to bring people together to optimize available resources in the best, most affordable and sustainable way possible. It’s time to work together. That is the truth.

Karen Vachon

Republican state representative

Scarborough

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