In Augusta there is often intense political debate and controversy surrounding the state’s Medi-caid program known as MaineCare. But a recent survey suggests there is no debate; the majority of Maine people have made up their minds – health care should be provided to everyone and lawmakers should make no further cuts to the MaineCare program.

At the heart of this issue is the fact that MaineCare insures one in five people in our state; it matters to someone you know and someone I know. The program not only provides critical health care to thousands of Mainers who would otherwise not be able to afford coverage, it also reduces Maine’s total health care costs. When uninsured people are treated in emergency rooms, hospitals shift that cost to private insurance companies, which then pass along the cost as premiums. By providing coverage through health care services such as inpatient hospital care, MaineCare helps to reduce the cost of charity care and bad debt, thus preventing the resulting cost shift to other insured Maine people.

Although the public and the Legislature are often characterized as having widely polarized views regarding health care, the survey of 300 Maine people by Market Decisions of South Portland underlines the fact that most Mainers believe the government has a responsibility to do more to ensure everyone has access to quality, affordable health care. In fact, Mainers rate the government’s two key health care programs – Medicare and Medicaid – just below Social Security as important government programs, even more important than defense and military spending.

The survey also showed that:

? 81 percent of Mainers strongly agree that it saves money for all of us in the long run when people with chronic diseases like diabetes have access to early diagnosis and treatment to improve health;

? 80 percent of Mainers agree that the cost of caring for uninsured people is shifted onto other policy holders;

? Three out of four adults oppose state cuts in MaineCare and 90 percent of Maine adults think that there should be no cuts in federal spending on Medicaid;

? 70 percent strongly agree that the problem of rising Medicaid costs reflects the overall health care crisis in the nation as a whole and that the solution is to control the costs of prescription drugs and health insurance generally, rather than cut the Medicaid program further.

Who does MaineCare help?

MaineCare helps people like Ruth Cole. Ruth was born in Merrill, a little town in Aroostook County. She’s 97 years old and now lives in a long-term care facility – Kennebec Plaza – in Augusta. She started working at a beauty shop at the age of 18, worked at a shipyard in South Portland, and ended up doing mission work to help hurricane victims on the Louisiana bayou, Mississippi and Arkansas. At the age of 88, Ruth decided it was time to get her high- school diploma. She studied hard and earned her GED.

At 97, Ruth has weakness in her legs, is hard of hearing and can’t see very well. Even though not everything works perfectly, Ruth gets around. She spent some time in a nursing home in 2003 but soon realized that she could live independently and take care of herself. She’s lived at Kennebec Plaza ever since.

MaineCare has meant that Ruth can see her doctors without having to worry that she won’t be able to buy food. MaineCare has been extremely important to Ruth. She doesn’t know what she would do without it.

Neither does Alice Conway. Alice qualifies for MaineCare in the category of people with disabilities. She has spina bifida and very specialized medical needs because of fragile health and complications. Although she is active in her community, serving on the Auburn Housing Authority board, Head Start, Pine Tree Legal Assistance and her church, her health is too precarious to try to maintain permanent employment, so she volunteers when she is able.

MaineCare has been essential in allowing Alice a good quality of life. It provides her with assistive technology and help from a personal care assistant. Without both of these things, she would not be able to live independently. MaineCare also allows her to see her doctors on a regular basis and helps her purchase essential prescription drugs. Both of these features are vital for people with spina bifida. If she weren’t able to see her doctor regularly, she would make many visits to the emergency room thus making medical costs much higher. Because of the medical care she received through MaineCare, she has had no emergency room visits in more than five years.

Ruth and Alice are more than stories. They are real people who remind us of people we know -friends, neighbors, grandparents, brothers, sisters, children, moms and dads who also rely on MaineCare. They underscore the reality that people will suffer if MaineCare is not there for them. Maine people cannot afford to go without quality health care.

I urge policymakers to take note of such strong public agreement on health care and the MaineCare program as they debate these important issues. Our elected leaders should to do more, not less. MaineCare doesn’t just matter to someone you know – it is essential.

Charlie Newton is executive director of Penquis CAP Inc. and a resident of Winterport.