PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The top health official in Maine says the cost of Maine's Medicaid program is making it unsustainable without significant reforms.
Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew told Portland-area business leaders Wednesday that the state can't afford to expand Medicaid under the federal health care overhaul.
Maine's Democratic-led Legislature approved the expansion earlier this year, but Republican Gov. Paul LePage vetoed it.
The Portland Press Herald reports that Mayhew said at the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday that the state must examine "its insatiable appetite for federal dollars," which is blurring the lines between assistance and dependency.
House Speaker Mark Eves of North Berwick says the department continues to "deny and delay health care to tens of thousands of working Mainers, including nearly 3,000 veterans."
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
