Augusta, Maine (AP) Gov. Paul LePage has vetoed a $55 million Medicaid expansion bill, saying lawmakers acted in “a fiscally irresponsible manner” by providing a “short-term fix” that doesn’t include continued funding.
The Republican criticized legislators in a release Friday, saying they “produced a hasty, ill-conceived bill” that depends on using one-time money from the state’s tobacco settlement and the state surplus.
Maine residents voted last fall to expand Medicaid to over 70,000 low-income adults by July 2.
LePage is asking lawmakers to recall the bill and fund it properly. A two-third vote of both houses of the Legislature will be needed to overturn LePage’s veto.
The governor also says he vetoed bills to increase reimbursement rates for workers who care for the elderly and disabled in their homes or in nursing homes.
