MPHA NEWS

MPHA summary of DHHS budget

Click below for MPHA's summary of the DHHS budget that passed through the Maine legislature by party-lines on May 15, 2012.

MPHA Press Statement in Response to Republican DHHS budget LD1746

MPHA Statement on Republican DHHS Budget proposal 5/10/12 (to see LD1746 amendment document, see pdf below)

Republicans on Appropriations Committee voted to gut critical public health services and did not honor the intent of the Fund for a Healthy Maine or the bi-partisan Fund for a Healthy Maine Commission. They cut $11.3 million from Maine's primary source of prevention funding.

Today, the importance of the Fund could not be more apparent - Maine's economic recovery depends on bringing down the cost of health care for the State and for businesses, and that's what the Fund for a Healthy Maine is designed to do. This further diversion will guarantee a future of fewer healthy families, higher health care costs for all, and an economic recovery that can only limp along because we continue to avoid dealing with the high cost of preventable chronic disease that is putting a burden on every family and business in Maine.

Examples:

*Women's Health: This vote will close women's health service locations in Houlton, Dexter, Norway, Damariscotta and Rumford.

*School Based Health Centers: This proposal also has the potential to close school based health centers across the state and, depending on the level of cuts will reduce services statewide.

*Home Visiting: 750 fewer families will receive vital Home Visiting services. Vulnerable infants and young children will lose help at the most critical time in their physical and emotional development. Additional non-FHM cuts will cause an additional 250 to lose services.

*Oral Health: Children and low income adults across the state will lose access to oral health care.

*Child Care Subsidies: This proposal slashes the amount of money available so that working parents can receive help in obtaining child care.

We understand the need to make difficult budget decisions; however, the cuts proposed today will do nothing to remedy the high cost of health care. Rather than wholeheartedly endorse Maine's limited efforts to reduce health costs, the Republican's proposal undermines that ability.

We were happy to discuss alternative solutions that not only raised revenue, but improved the health of Maine people and reduced cost to businesses and the State. Those offers were rebuffed by the Administration despite tremendous support of doctors, hospitals, and the public health community.

The people of Maine rely on legislators to protect the Fund for a Healthy Maine and keep it working as it is intended. In fact, just a year ago, more than 91% of Maine people said they wanted the Fund for a Healthy Maine used ONLY for programs that prevent disease and promote good health today. Nowhere did they say it should be used to fill budget holes. 

These cuts that will cost our communities in lost jobs, poorer health and greater costs.

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From the FHM Commission report: Issue a statement of support for investments in public health and prevention and for the original intent of the funding. Include in the recommendations of the Commission a statement that the Commission recognizes the importance of investments in public health and prevention and believes that the original intent of the funding should be maintained and efforts should be made to eliminate health disparities. The statement will also include the following: "Access to adequate health coverage and support for building relationships with health care providers and the health care system are critical to the individual's ability to access important prevention, education and treatment resources related to smoking and tobacco, overweight and obesity, prenatal and young children's care, child care, health care, prescription drugs, dental and oral health care, substance abuse, school health and nutrition programs and counseling on ways to improve individual health behaviors." This recommendation was adopted unanimously.

MPHA and broad coalition including Maine Hospital Association, Maine Medical Association and the American Cancer Society call for $1.50/pack tobacco tax increase

Protect kids and close the budget gap – raise the cigarette tax 

Coalition of health care advocates call on Legislators to take action to keep kids from becoming smokers and reduce health care costs by increasing the cigarette tax by $1.50

Augusta- With legislative budget writers examining a series of dire choices to close the shortfall in the Health and Human Services budget, a broad coalition of health care advocates are renewing their call for Maine to raise the cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack. Advocates say this would be a positive step to reduce teen smoking rates, lower short-term health care costs and lessen the severity of proposed budget cuts.

“Raising the cigarette tax is a proven measure that will improve the health of Maine people and reduce health care costs,” said Steven Michaud of the Maine Hospital Association. “When you raise the cigarette tax, people quit and kids don’t start. It’s that simple.”

Smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death and disease in Maine and America. The research is conclusive that when the cost of a pack of cigarettes increase, people quit, kids don’t start and health care costs are reduced. Maine hasn’t increased the cigarette tax since 2005 and now has the second lowest cigarette tax in New England at $2.00 per pack. A $1.50 per pack increase in the cigarette excise tax would provide the state with an estimated $47.9 million in fiscal year 2013.

“In addition, when Maine cigarette taxes increase, New Hampshire sales decline or stay the same. Maine cigarette tax increases do not create a market for cross-border sales” says Gordon Smith of the Maine Medical Association.

“The Governor has proposed cuts to tobacco cessation programs and to tobacco prevention and control programs” said Hilary Schneider of the American Cancer Society. “Increasing the cigarette tax will provide the legislature with options to make restorations to these and other services.”

To read the Full Press Release click on downloadable document below.

MPHA disappointed in HHS committee cuts

Statement by Tina Pettingill, Executive Director of the Maine Public Health Association- 1/17/12. To read full statement, click on link below.

Maine Public Health Association is disappointed with the failure of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee to stand up for proven prevention and cost saving efforts. Majority of the Human Services Committee votes to back Governor LePage’s budget proposals regarding diversion of Tobacco Settlement dollars and rejects proven cost- and life-saving prevention efforts.

AUGUSTA- The Legislature’s Health And Human Services Committee held preliminary votes on the Governor’s proposed DHHS supplemental budget today. The Committee focused mostly on proposals that would divert funding from health promotion and disease prevention efforts to support the state’s Medicaid program by cutting funding from the Fund for a Healthy Maine.

Maine Public Health Association (MPHA) is disappointed in the results of the first round of votes held today. Executive Director Tina Pettingill has issued the following statement:

“It is extremely disappointing to see a majority of the Health and Human Services Committee turn their back on sound science and a decade of demonstrated successes. The committee’s endorsement of de-funding the bulk of the state’s already scant disease prevention and health promotion efforts squanders any chance the state will have of helping people live healthier lives and realizing lower health care costs. Because of Maine’s past commitment for public health efforts like tobacco prevention and early childhood development, Maine sees a return of $7.50 for every dollar invested in prevention – the highest rate in the nation. If these cuts are carried out, Maine will spend more to treat preventable disease in the future. I want to thank the members of the Committee who did reject these cuts, especially House Chair Rep. Meredith Strang Burgess. I hope that the Appropriations Committee will disregard the majority recommendation of the Health and Human Services Committee’s recommendations and let the evidence of these successful programs guide their decisions.”

Top 10 Reasons to Join MPHA

There are many more than 10 reasons to become a member of your public health association, but we tried to narrow it down to a one-page document for those of you who want more information about MPHA!  

MPHA relies on membership, grants and donations to sustain our organization and advocacy efforts.  Please join today!

MPHA & The Fund for a Healthy Maine: a Success Story

The largest portion of MPHA’s policy work this past year was to protect the Fund for a Healthy Maine. 

Eleven years ago, as the first payments of Maine’s share of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement were set to arrive; the Legislature acknowledged the special purpose of the money and showed tremendous wisdom in creating the Fund for a Healthy Maine (FHM).  What the Legislature established was truly visionary – investing in the prevention of disease and promotion of good health today in order to reduce health costs in the long run. In fact, at $55-60 million per year, the FHM is Maine’s largest source of public health funding and one of our only sources of basic public health infrastructure funding.  Without it, Maine would rank 48^th in state public health funding.

After devastating cuts to the FHM at its inception in the year 2000, the Friends of the Fund for a Healthy Maine (the Friends) was created in 2001 to advocate for the appropriate use of Maine’s Tobacco Settlement dollars.  The Friends are comprised by representatives from those organizations funded through the FHM as well as many other public health organizations and interested partners.  MPHA agreed to coordinate the Friends this year and dedicated a portion of our budget to coordination, lobbying and education efforts.

Governor LePage’s 2012/2013 biennial budget contained a 33% reduction ($36 million) in the FHM and eliminated all protection of the Fund going forward.  The combination of cuts and changes to the statutory language threatened to dismantle the FHM and its history of funding best-practice, evidence-based public health prevention programming. 

Once the budget was released, MPHA held a press event decrying the cuts and were responsible for organizing over 150 testifiers who sought to educate lawmakers on the importance of the Fund. It was the single largest group represented during the budget process. We also, with funding from The Bingham Program, recruited 175 businesses to sign on to a letter supporting the FHM and distributed it to the legislature. MPHA, on behalf of the Friends, also worked tirelessly with individual legislators to preserve the Fund.

Our efforts paid off.

In a unanimous report from the Appropriations Committee, nearly all the programs within the Fund saw full or partial funding restored with 1.1% of program funding cut over the biennium (note: this figure does not include cuts to the Dirigo Health program). Some programs saw their funding restored with General Funds, resulting in a diversion of Fund for a Healthy Maine totaling $8.1 million, or 7.6%, over the biennium. The bill, which was an emergency measure, was passed by more than 2/3s of the House and Senate. It was signed into law by the Governor on June 20, 2011.

While successful in preserving most the Fund during the 2011 legislative session, the battle is not over; there is still a great deal of lawmaker education that must be done to protect the FHM from further cuts, particularly as additional federal and state budget reductions loom.  

To learn more about the Friends of the Fund or MPHA's efforts, contact MPHA Policy Officer, Becky Smith.

MPHA and iGIVE join together!

iGIVE is a super easy way for friends and family to donate to MPHA without costing you a dime (seriously!).  Just sign-up for iGIVE www.iGive.com/MainePHA and most stores that you shop online with will donate a small percentage of your purchase to MPHA- it is completely free to you and will not change anything about the way you shop-- except that you can feel good about knowing that you are shopping AND donating at the same time!

Sign-up today at www.iGive.com/MainePHA and help your favorite advocacy organization while you shop!