Vital Signs newsletter: Supreme Court denies LePage effort to cut young adults from MaineCare

The country’s highest court has rejected a bid by the LePage administration to escape a key requirement of the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. Supreme Court  hammered a final nail in the coffin in Maine’s effort to cut more than 6,000 low-income young adults from the state’s Medicaid rolls.

But Gov. Paul LePage remained undeterred, indicating he’d continue his efforts to cut “able-bodied” adults from the health insurance program for low-income residents.

The justices’ refusal to hear Maine’s case comes as friends and foes of Obamacare eagerly anticipate a separate ruling later this month that will decide the fate of financial subsidies critical to the law’s success.

Supreme Court denies LePage’s effort to cut young adults from MaineCare

Other top health stories:

High-profile Maine kidney donation scheduled for next week

Maine Medical Center hit the brakes on the procedure in April after unprecedented fundraising raised concerns about breaking a federal law that prohibits donors from profiting from donating an organ.

Alternative Lyme disease treatment bill clears Maine Senate

The bill passed over conflicting testimony from both doctors and sufferers of Lyme disease, which sickened 1,300 people in Maine last year.

From our bloggers

Scott Gagnon, Smart Approaches to Public Health

A New Opportunity at Maine’s Disposal to Fight Rx Abuse

We have been running extremely successful medicine disposal programs across the state, but they’ve always teetered in a somewhat precarious position as far as sustainability.

Diane Atwood, Catching Health

Where to Pick Strawberries in Maine

Is there anything else quite as delicious as a handful of freshly picked strawberries?

From the source

Abortions have declined in nearly every state since 2010, according to a new analysis by the Associated Press of health data from throughout the country. In Maine, the number of abortions dropped 12.6 percent. Explanations for the trend varied.

 

Compiled by BDN Health Editor Jackie Farwell

Jackie Farwell

About Jackie Farwell

I'm the health editor for the Bangor Daily News, a Bangor native, a UMaine grad, and a weekend crossword warrior. I never get sick of writing about Maine people, geeking out over health care data, and finding new ways to help you stay well. I live in Gorham with my husband Nick and our hound dog Riley.