Category Economy

Mar 3 2016

Poliquin Sends Letter to Entire Republican Conference, Suggests 14 Reforms to Improve Health Care System

Poliquin Sends Letter to Entire Republican Conference, Suggests 14 Reforms to Improve Health Care System

Congressman Poliquin highlights needed health care improvements as GOP Task Force begins its work

 

WASHINGTON – This week, Maine’s Second District Congressman, Bruce Poliquin, delivered a letter to the entire Republican Conference highlighting important reforms to the Affordable Care Act, known as ObamaCare.

 

Poliquin attached his letter from May 2015 to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Ways and Means, Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce, which outlines 14 suggested reforms to the health care law.

 

Poliquin delivered his reforms to the Republican Conference in light of the newly created Task Force on Health Care Reform’s launch last week.

 

In his letter to his colleagues, Congressman Poliquin writes:

 

“I strongly advocate for these changes based on many conversations with Maine residents and small business owners, who have described their experiences with the job-killing mandates and smothering costs of a government-run health insurance market.

 

“As our Conference engages in thoughtful debate on a replacement for ObamaCare, I ask that we seize this opportunity to institute common sense and free market health care policy for American Families.”

 

 

In May 2015, Congressman Poliquin sent a letter to then-Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Chairmen Fred Upton (R-MI) and John Kline (R-MN) expressing his concerns with ObamaCare and offering 14 free-market solutions to the President’s health care law.  Congressman Poliquin’s  reforms include:

  • Require hospitals and doctors to provide patients with the estimated costs of health care services and procedures so they can shop for the best care at the lowest price. This will reduce monthly health insurance premiums by driving down the underlying cost of health care.
  • Allow insurance companies to share savings with patients when services and procedures of comparable quality are purchased outside of the health care plan’s network at below average costs.
  • Allow individuals, families, and businesses to shop across state lines for the health insurance plans that fit their needs and pocketbooks.
  • Remove the mandates for unnecessary and expensive health care services and procedures to be covered by all health insurance plans.
  • Allow affordable high-deductible and low- premium health care policies to be offered by insurance companies.
  • Allow small businesses and other organizations to band together while negotiating the purchase of the health insurance plans that best meets their needs at costs they can afford.
  • Allow insurance companies to charge much less for health care plans sold to younger individuals and those who make healthy lifestyle choices.
  • Require insurance companies to provide coverage to individuals with pre-existing health conditions.
  • Require health insurance plans to be portable when workers change jobs.
  • Allow states to establish reinsurance pools that provide affordable health insurance to those who need high levels of health care services.
  • Allow health insurance policies to be purchased with pre-tax dollars.
  • Expand the use of tax-free health saving accounts by allowing the funds to pay for monthly premiums as well as out-of-pocket expenses.
  • Allow families to buy primary health care services directly from their doctors of choice, and then purchase inexpensive high-deductible policies to insure against catastrophic illness.
  • Do not allow the IRS to fine or penalize individuals who choose not to purchase health insurance.

 

This year, Speaker Ryan announced the creation of six committee-led task forces within the Republican Conference to focus on and develop an agenda for major priorities for Congress.

 

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Click HERE to see a PDF version of Congressman Poliquin’s letter to the Republican Conference.

Click HERE to see a PDF version of Congressman Poliquin’s May 2015 letter to Chairmen Ryan, Kline and Upton.

Feb 16 2016

Citizens’ initiative for minimum wage increase found valid with 75,275 signatures

02/16/2016 01:37 PM EST

 

AUGUSTA – The citizens’ initiative petition effort to increase the minimum wage has been found valid, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap confirmed today.

The petitions for “An Act To Raise the Minimum Wage” had been in circulation since June 2, 2015. On Jan. 14, 2016, the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions received 13,212 petitions with 86,438 total signatures of those who support the initiative.

Staff members at the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions have completed the process of certifying all of the petitions and have found 75,275 valid signatures, while 11,163 were not valid. A minimum of 61,123 signatures from registered Maine voters is required in the citizens’ initiative process, thus the petition has been deemed valid by Secretary Dunlap.

The initiative to increase the minimum wage will now go to the Legislature for consideration, per the provisions of the Maine Constitution. The Legislature can choose to enact the bill as written or to send it forward to a statewide vote in November 2016.

The bill proposes raising the minimum wage to $9 per hour in 2017 and by $1 per hour each year after that until it is $12 per hour in 2020. The minimum wage then increases at the same rate as the cost of living. The minimum wage for workers who receive tips increases to $5.00 per hour in 2017 and then by $1.00 per hour each year until it matches the minimum wage for all other workers, which occurs no sooner than 2024. Visit http://maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/citizens/index.html to view the proposed legislation in its entirety.

Feb 12 2016

Governor Calls on Democrats to Stop Holding Tax Conformity for Ransom

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage once again called on Democrats today to stop hurting the livelihoods of teachers, low-income earners, students, small and large businesses by refusing to enact tax conformity unless it is tied to an additional windfall in education spending, which would be over and above the significant increase already in the current budget.

The Democrats want to raid the Budget Stabilization Fund for $23 million in additional education spending before they approve tax conformity, even though education spending has already increased by $80 million over the last budget.

“The Democrats are holding tax conformity for ransom by tying it to education funding, which is totally unrelated,” said Governor LePage. “They are raiding $23 million from the rainy day fund to deny teachers, low-income earners, students and small and large Maine businesses the tax refunds they deserve. There’s no reason to pay ransom for tax conformity. The Democrats are either for it or against it. If they think tax conformity is good for the Maine people-which it is-they should vote for it. If Democrats disagree with President Obama and think Maine taxpayers do not deserve the same tax refund the federal government is giving them, they should just vote against it.”

In school year 2016-17, state spending is $114 million higher than it was in the LePage administration’s first budget for the 2010-11 school year.

School spending from the state is now $150 million higher than the 2005-06 school year-an 18% increase. In the same period, student population has declined by over 25,000 students-a 13% decrease.

In this biennium, Governor LePage added $40 million over last year. The Legislature added another $40 million. School spending is up $80 million over the last biennium alone. Now the Democrats want to seize $23 million more, which would be a $100 million increase over last biennium.
Jul 22 2015

The Bully in the Playhouse

The Maine State Legislature has moved to its summer recess and now the cleanup crews have moved in to scrap the residue of food fights, tantrums, rock throwing, and all around juvenile behavior off the walls of the respective legislative chambers and the Governor’s office. It’s been a sight to behold and not a pretty one. Let’s recap the sordid details.

For clarity, it should be stated that much of the untoward behavior has revolved around the Augusta soap opera we all call “As the Budget Churns”. The Governor started things off on the wrong foot by crafting a budget behind closed doors excluding any input from the legislature including the leadership of his own Party and fellow Conservatives. When the budget was presented, Republican leadership expressed their frustration with the process and portions of the budget.

Governor LePage responded by threatening members of his own Party. He publicly promised to run a primary candidate against any Republican who voted against his budget. Now there’s a swell way to build bridges…

As you can imagine, this first of what would be a litany of bluffs and threats from the Executive office, culminating with a threat to resign as Governor if his budget wasn’t passed, did not invoke warm and fuzzy feelings from the Republican legislative caucus. Yes, they pushed back. The melee ensued. This has left Maine residents shaking their heads in disbelief and embarrassment.

But the push back from the legislature seemed more rooted in wounded egos and political payback then a corrective message to the Governor. Eventually, the Republican leadership would join forces with Democrat leadership to craft a budget with no fiscal benefit to the people of Maine. It’s pages read more like an “In-Yo-Face” budget than a plan to strengthen Maine’s economy.

The Maine Conservative Voice would like to respectfully remind the Governor and Republican leadership that they all campaigned on putting Maine people before politics. With the amount of rock throwing that has typified this last legislative session, I’m not sure anyone wants to get before your politics. It’s a good way for Maine taxpayers to get hurt.

Maine deserves better than to have to watch their elected officials turn Augusta into some dark version of Romper Room. All the bullying and hoarding of toys in the playhouse has got to stop. Maine is tired of the mess.

The people I associate with on a daily basis in my workday no longer call LePage “Our Governor”. They simply shake their heads in shame. They are also confused to why a Republican led Senate could not accomplish any of its campaign promises and why they still are playing the doormat to the Democrats. With election season looming on the horizon and only one more session to make amends, the Republicans need to take heed to their business and tuck their egos away or the Democrats, whose symbol is the Biblical term for a donkey, will continue to make Republicans look just like that Democrat party symbol.