Behavioral health services are a necessity and a critical part of healthcare. They are about the essential human dignity of every person, and about relieving human suffering.
Medicaid is key to ensuring that Mainers receive timely, evidence-based care to support recovery, stability, and overall well-being.
Medicaid is crucial in Maine:
- It covers one-third of Maine’s population – 400,000 people
- MaineCare ensures access to care for nearly 30% of adults with mental illness in Maine
- 50% of Maine children are enrolled in MaineCare (133,000 kids)
- Rural Mainers – 24.1% of people in Maine’s rural areas are covered by MaineCare
Spurwink & Medicaid:
- 74% of Spurwink clients are covered by MaineCare (approx. 7,400 individuals).
- 15% of Spurwink clients (1,458) are over the age of 50. Of those, 5% (462) are over the age of 65.
- Spurwink connects hundreds of Maine Veterans to a variety of treatment and engagement programs.
Medicaid cuts will harm Maine people:
The potential impact of up to $880 billion in budget cuts over the next decade is profound.
- Hundreds of thousands of Mainers losing access to critical Medicaid-funded treatment.
- Multi-generational health impacts when both preventative care and crisis care are less accessible.
- Increased pressure on Maine emergency departments and law enforcement, as untreated mental illness and addiction lead to crisis-level interventions.
- Higher rates of homelessness and incarceration, as individuals with untreated behavioral health conditions struggle to access housing, employment, and stability.
- Financial strain on hospitals, especially in rural areas, potentially leading to hospital closures.
- With the increase in uncompensated care, costs would rise, forcing hospitals and providers to shift costs onto insured patients, increasing premiums for all Mainers.
Read a recent article on Spurwink’s advocacy efforts here. For more information or to learn more about how to support this work, please reach out to Kristen Farnham, Vice President of Legal Affairs and Advancement, at (207) 871-1211 x2186 or kfarnham@spurwink.org.
