MAINE SENIOR REPORT
November 2008
An Information Service
of the
Maine Council of Senior
Citizens –
Alliance for Retired
Americans
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2009 ELECTION THREAT
LIES AHEAD
STATE BUDGET CUTS TO
SLASH HEALTH PROGRAMS
Adults on Medicaid,
hospitals, and
businesses that contract
with the Department of
Health and Human
Services would feel the
impact of $179 million
in proposed cuts over
the next two years,
budget documents reveal.
“These are what we are
proposing to meet the
target set by the
governor,” DHHS
Commissioner Brenda
Harvey said in an
interview. “There are
not any good choices
here.”
In a memo to Finance
Commissioner Ryan Low,
Harvey lists five broad
areas of cuts to meet
the goal of $100 million
a year in cuts. It falls
short of its target,
listing $80.2 million in
cuts the first year and
$98.9 million in the
second year of the
budget.
“We really tried to be
surgical about this
process,” she said.
“What we did is look at
specifics about the
groups of people who are
eligible for MaineCare
[Maine’s name for the
Medicaid program] and
the optional programs.”
Harvey said the goal is
to craft a package of
services that best serve
an individual, and
separate them from
coverage of other
optional services. Maine
offers many optional
services not required
under the federal
Medicaid program.
Read More>>>>>
FROM THE DESK OF JOHN
CARR
Well the election is
over; the political TV
ads have stopped, the
winners are happy, the
losers waiting for the
next time.
The MCSC-ARA lost a good
friend and supporter,
Tom Allen who was
defeated by Susan
Collins for US Senate.
Tom’s support for
seniors over the twelve
years he was in the US
House of Representatives
was 100%. I’m hoping
that Tom Allen will be
able to be part of the
Obama Administration.
However, another 100%
supporter of the MCSC-ARA,
Chellie Pingree,
replaced Tom Allen.
Congratulations Chellie
and we look forward to
helping her in any way
we can.
Not on the ballot,
announced on Nov. 4th
and probably missed by
many is the 2009 danger.
Once again the
conservative forces in
Maine strive to continue
their philosophy of less
government, no or lower
taxes and a destruction
of health care mandated
benefits. The Maine
Heritage Policy Center
and Maine Leads have
filed three “citizen
petitions.”
(1) Another taxpayer’s
bill of rights.
(2) Allowing Maine
citizens to buy health
insurance from other New
England States sold by
Insurance companies that
do not sell the same
benefits that are
mandated in Maine.
(3) To reduce excise
taxes, a major part of
municipal income.
Missing from view is
perhaps the most
important danger that
conservative forces use
in many States as well
as in Maine, is the
“citizen petition”. The
“citizen petition” is
most often used to
circumvent our elected
Legislature. Voters all
over America spend a lot
of time and money
supporting and electing
Governors, State
Senators, and State
Representatives to
represent all citizens
in State Legislatures,
giving them wide
authority to enact laws
in the citizens’
behalf. If we continue
using “citizen
petitions” in their
present form we might as
well close the doors of
our State House and let
chaos reign.
The three petitions
filed have yet to be
approved by the
Secretary of State but
that’s not expected to
be a problem. 2009 will
be an interesting year,
expect more political
ads, this time
supporting or opposing
these three, at times
confusing, petitions.
In Senior Solidarity
John Carr
CONSERVATIVES SEEK TO
WRITE NEW LAWS
The submission of three
petitions to the
secretary of state’s
office means Maine
voters will have as many
as four citizen-led
initiatives to decide
upon when they go to the
polls in November 2009.
That’s a historically
high number, said
Kenneth T. Palmer, a
University of Maine
semi-retired political
science professor who
studies Maine’s
government.
The conservative groups
Maine Leads and The
Maine Heritage Policy
Center delivered some
200,000 signatures to
the Secretary of State.
Each of the three
initiatives carries with
it a proposed law, which
the Legislature must
either enact or send to
voters. Those proposals
are as follows:
Measures Impact Taxes
·
One of the initiatives
is a so-called “Taxpayer
Bill of Rights” that
would impose expenditure
limits on state and
local governments and
require voter approval
for certain tax
increases. Revenues in
excess of the
expenditure limits would
be used for a budget
stabilization fund or
direct tax relief.
Approximately 61,000
signatures were gathered
for this initiative,
said Tarren Bragdon,
chief operating officer
for the Maine Heritage
Policy Center. Maine law
requires 55,087
certified signatures to
advance a citizen
initiative.
·
The second of the
initiatives submitted
would cut motor vehicle
excise taxes by 50
percent in the first
year, followed by deeper
cuts in the second and
third years. For cars
four years old and
older, the rate would be
$4 per $1,000 of the
vehicle’s value. In
addition, this item
would exempt excise
taxes for the first
three model years of
hybrid or
alternative-fuel
vehicles or those with
highway fuel economies
of 40 or more miles per
gallon. Fuel-efficient
vehicles would also be
exempt from the motor
vehicle sales tax. This
initiative attracted
about 63,000 signatures,
said Bragdon.
·
The third initiative
would allow out-of-state
health insurers to sell
coverage to Maine
citizens and create the
“Comprehensive
Guaranteed Access Health
Insurance Association,”
which would spread the
cost of individuals
without insurance across
all health insurers. The
law would also enact a
range of new provisions
that affect taxes on
hospitals and insurance
companies, as well as
requirements for
businesses that provide
health insurance for
employees. It would
repeal the savings
offset payment, which
funds the Dirigo Choice
state health insurance
program. About 59,000
people signed the
petition for this item,
said Bragdon.
“Manipulate the System”
Mark Brewer, a
University of Maine
political science
professor, said laws
resulting from referenda
are the “purest form of
democracy,” but they’re
prone to influence by
special interest groups.
On the Nov 4 ballot, two
citizen-led questions
attracted millions of
dollars in spending by
beverage companies and a
casino operator.
“It allows outside
interests to manipulate
the system,” said
Brewer. “In most
instances it is special
interest groups that
attempt to legislate in
this fashion. It’s a
good way for them to
obtain what they want.”
Read the complete
article>>>>>
SENIORS ONLY AGE GROUP
TO BACK MCCAIN
Data from exit polling
in the presidential
election shows that
senior citizens –
Americans age 65 and
older – were the only
age group to support the
losing candidate, Sen.
John McCann. And, it was
by a sizable margin –
53% for McCain and only
45% for the winner, Sen.
Barack Obama.
It’s not easy to
understand but it was
clearly indicated in the
polling that lead up to
the election.
The Gallup Poll
projected seniors were
evenly split between the
two candidates on
October 26 – 45% each.
Then suddenly, just two
days before the
election, McCain took a
commanding lead in the
Gallup Poll – 47% to
just 42% for Obama.
Then, too, just before
the election, the Pew
Research Center released
a study of political
party preference that
found the Democratic
Party has made big gains
since 2004. There was,
however, one notable
exception - “Only among
voters age 65 and older
has the percentage of
voters identifying with
the Democratic Party
decreased slightly --
from 49% in 2004 to 47%
now.”
The Pew analysis said,
“This slight decline
reflects the passing of
members of the New Deal
Generation -- who leaned
overwhelmingly
Democratic but who are
mostly in their 90s now.
In addition, voters who
came of age politically
in the Eisenhower
administration, and are
now in their late 60s,
are closely divided in
their party
affiliation.”
Read full article>>>>>
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Editor’s Note:
The above voting by
seniors appears to
indicate that many did
not understand where the
presidential candidates
stood on senior issues.
Below are some of the
positions Obama/Biden
took on senior issues
with links to other
issues.
OBAMA – BIDEN PLEDGE TO
HELP SENIORS
Barack Obama will
protect Social Security:
Obama and Biden are
committed to ensuring
Social Security is
solvent and viable for
the American people, now
and in the future. They
are strongly opposed to
privatizing Social
Security.
Provide cheaper
prescription drugs:
Obama and Biden will
allow the federal
government to negotiate
for lower drug prices
for the Medicare
program. They also
support allowing seniors
to import safe
prescription drugs from
overseas.
Protect and strengthen
Medicare:
Obama and Biden are
committed to the
long-term strength of
the Medicare program.
They will reduce waste
in the Medicare system
and will tackle
fundamental healthcare
reform.
Read the Complete
Obama/Biden Senior
Plan>>>>>>
SENIOR ADVOCACY GROUP
HELPS ELECT CONGRESS
One senior citizen
advocacy group was quick
to claim credit today
for helping elect a
significant number of
Congressional candidates
who understand the
privatization of Social
Security and Medicare is
not the answer to
long-term solvency.
The National Committee
to Preserve Social
Security and Medicare
PAC says 93% of the
House and Senate
candidates it supported
and/or endorsed have won
their elections.
Among the National
Committee's priorities
for the new President
and Congress are:
● Enact health care
reform that slows the
rate of growth in
healthcare costs,
reducing Medicare's
costs for beneficiaries
and the government
● Eliminate wasteful
subsidies to private
Medicare programs and
use that money to
improve care for seniors
● Eliminate
means-tested Part B
premiums to keep
Medicare affordable for
all
The organization added,
“As home equity
evaporates, investment
income plummets and
healthcare costs
skyrocket unchecked,
programs such as Social
Security and Medicare
must continue to provide
a vital lifeline for
millions of American
families during this and
any other economic
crisis.
“The National Committee
is preparing its 2009
Legislative Agenda and
will continue to be a
leading voice for
seniors during upcoming
policy debates. On
behalf of its millions
of members and
supporters nationwide,
the NCPSSM will lobby
Congress and the new
President to pass
legislation beneficial
to seniors, the
disabled, survivors and
their families.”
Read Complete
Article>>>>>>
STUDY ACCESS OF AGING TO
THE POLLS
Florida Secretary of
State Kurt S. Browning
has changed his mind and
will now encourage
county election
supervisors to grant the
Government
Accountability Office
access to Florida
polling places on
Election Day as part of
its nationwide study
examining voting access
for aging and disabled
voters.
Florida, the state with
the highest percentage
of senior citizens, was
the only one to
completely deny the GAO
entry to its polls on
November 4.
The GAO is examining
states’ actions in
facilitating voter
access for people with
disabilities and
residents of long-term
care facilities as part
of a study requested by
Senators Kohl and
Feinstein. The GAO
selected one hundred
counties across the
country as a
representative sample of
polling places,
including four counties
in Florida: Miami-Dade,
Broward, Pinellas and
Hillsborough.
BEVERAGE TAX DIES –
THREATENS DIRIGO
After a couple of failed
attempts, tax foes
finally mustered a
victory in a statewide
referendum to rein in
taxes in Maine.
With the beverage tax
abolished Nov. 4, voters
next will possibly face
two more tax-related
referendums on Election
Day a year from now. For
lawmakers, it's an
ominous sign as they
face a budget shortfall
of at least $500 million
for the coming two-year
cycle.
Read More>>>>>>
Maine Medical
Association Executive
Vice President Gordon
Smith, who led a group
called Health Coverage
for Maine, said he's
hoping to go back to
lawmakers next year with
a renewed effort to fund
Dirigo, a program
created five years ago
to provide health
insurance to small
businesses and
individuals.
Just what the renewed
effort will be may
depend on the outcome of
his discussions with
business owners. He said
they've approached him
on a number of
occasions.
"We want to follow up on
those and see, between
the newly elected
legislators and working
with the governor, what
might be done in these
difficult, difficult
times," he said.
The Maine State Chamber
of Commerce played a key
role in the repeal
effort. Chamber
President Dana Connors
served as treasurer of
Fed Up With Taxes, a
coalition effort largely
funded by beverage
companies. And Kristine
Ossenfort, senior
governmental-affairs
specialist for the
chamber, made several
public appearances to
speak out against the
taxes.
The chamber also
recently filed suit in
Kennebec County Superior
Court to challenge the
current funding
mechanism for Dirigo.
The suit seeks to have
the method used to
calculate the
savings-offset payment
declared
unconstitutional.
Read More>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Gov. John Baldacci says
he will ask the new
administration of
President-elect Barack
Obama in January to
allow the state to
expand the Dirigo Health
insurance program using
the federal Medicaid
program.
“Where one door may have
closed with the repeal
of the taxes, the other
door opened with the new
administration,”
Baldacci said in an
interview. The governor
said Obama said
throughout the campaign
that he would be more
open to looking at
innovative approaches to
expanding access to
health coverage.
The governor said using
the premiums paid by
employers and
individuals to Dirigo as
a match for Medicaid
funding could allow the
program to cover more
Mainers. Enrollment is
now frozen. He said when
the program first was
passed in 2003, getting
federal Medicaid dollars
was part of the plan.
“We tried this with the
Bush administration,” he
said. “They rejected our
effort but approved
similar waivers for
Massachusetts and
Vermont.”
Such a waiver would be
significant for the
program. Employers and
individuals are paying
about $22 million a year
in premiums. The state
is providing subsidies
of about $25 million
through the savings
offset payment. Medicaid
would bring in about two
federal dollars for
every state or premium
dollar.
Read More>>>>>
KNOCK REPUBLICANS OFF
AGING COMMITTEE
It has been a very bad
election year for
Republicans on the
Senate’s Special
Committee on Aging – two
of them, past chairmen
of the committee – will
leave the Senate in
January.
The immediate past
chairman and current
minority leader, Sen.
Gordon Smith of Oregon,
was defeated on November
4. The Republican
chairman who preceded
him, Sen. Larry Craig of
Idaho, is leaving
voluntarily after a
scandal involving a sex
sting in a men’s
restroom.
One of the most shocking
defeats on election
night was that of
committee member Sen.
Elizabeth Dole of North
Carolina. She was
defeated by former
Democratic state senator
Kay Hagan.
Another headline grabber
on the committee was
Sen. Norm Coleman. He
declared victory on
Wednesday morning, but
his narrow lead over
Democrat challenger Al
Franken requires a
recount that could
stretch well into next
December.
Throughout its
existence, the Special
Committee on Aging has
served as a focal point
in the Senate for
discussion and debate on
matters relating to
older Americans. Often,
the Committee will
submit its findings and
recommendations for
legislation to the
Senate. In addition, the
Committee publishes
materials of assistance
to those interested in
public policies which
relate to the elderly.
Read More>>>>>>
SENIORS RATE ELECTION
PRESS “POOR”
New research by the Pew
Research Center finds a
majority (53%) of
Americans rate press
coverage of the
presidential campaign as
excellent or good. Oops,
not senior citizens.
They are the only age
group in which a
majority does not rate
the press coverage as
excellent or good.
Opinions about the
quality of campaign
coverage appear to be
correlated with age,
according to the
analysis by the Pew
Research Center for the
People & the Press.
A 59% majority of young
people (ages 18-34) rate
press coverage
positively, while
middle-aged Americans
are more divided on the
quality of campaign
reporting. Among older
Americans (those 65 and
older), most say the
coverage is only fair or
poor (53%), compared
with 44% who say it is
excellent or good.
Read More>>>>>>>>>>>>
******************************************************************
DON'T FORGET! MONTHLY
MEETINGS EVERY
3RD TUESDAY OF THE
MONTH
9:30 AM 71 State
Street, Augusta (MSEA/SEIU
building)
NEXT MEETING -
Tuesday, November 18,
2008
NEW OFFICE ADDRESS:
Maine Council of Senior
Citizens/ARA/ARA, PO Box
1591, Waterville, ME
04903
******************************************************************
Editor
Ed Schlick
ecsme@roadrunner.com
i