I am one of the 70,000 people in Maine in a state of limbo due to the denial of the voter-approved Medicaid expansion program by Gov. LePage and his administration.

My story is one of thousands across our state. I am 28, married and a full-time student at the University of Southern Maine. I work part-time at a retail job, part-time in the work-study program and am involved with several on-campus organizations; I do all of this while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I was recently awarded an Undergraduate Opportunity Research Fellowship and am the recipient of federal aid, as well as merit-based scholarships, which, I am thankful to say, cover my tuition.

USM has a requirement that each student have health insurance. Unless a student has an alternative insurance policy, they are automatically enrolled in the university’s program. That plan is $1,800 for 12 months of coverage or $150 per month with a $6,000 deductible. It does not include eye care or dental care.

My finances simply can’t stretch enough to cover this plan. I reached out to my financial aid counselor at USM to see if there was any way they could help. She suggested a loan or going to part-time status.

What kind of a world do we live in where a student has to take on debt to acquire health insurance? And what kind of state is Maine where the government leaders can so blatantly disregard our democratic process?

At this point, I’m resigning myself to having to somehow figure out a way to pay for USM’s health care plan, but I wanted other Mainers to know my story, since I have no doubt that there are many other young university students in the same situation that I’m in. I’m urging the governor to implement the law passed by voters last year – it’s his job.

Julia Gustafson

Falmouth