After vetoing Medicaid expansion SIX times as governor, extremist Paul LePage is back at it again with his blatant lies to Mainers about his record threatening health care in Maine.
New reporting from the Maine Independent reveals that LePage “reiterated his long-standing opposition to Maine’s Medicaid expansion law in a recent radio interview, falsely claiming that it has harmed rural hospitals.”
Across the board, medical professionals are making it clear that LePage’s claims about Medicaid expansion are bogus, saying “It’s inarguable that Medicaid expansion helped rural hospitals and health access.”
LePage’s lies follow his strong embrace of the Big, Ugly Bill — devastating legislation that enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in history and has actually hurt rural hospitals. Since the bill’s passage, “20 Maine health providers have closed, have announced cuts, or are at risk.”
DCCC Spokesperson Riya Vashi:
“Paul LePage is hellbent on ripping away health care from hardworking Maine families. LePage knows his record of gutting health care will cost him in November, so he’s resorted to spreading lies. Mainers know the truth, and they’ll make sure LePage never makes it to Congress.”
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Maine Independent: Paul LePage vetoed Maine Medicaid expansion six times
The Republican former governor backed Medicaid cuts and falsely claimed expansion hurt rural hospitals.
- Former Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage, currently running for Maine’s open 2nd Congressional District seat, reiterated his long-standing opposition to Maine’s Medicaid expansion law in a recent radio interview, falsely claiming that it has harmed rural hospitals.
- In a May 20 appearance on Voice of Maine’s morning news program, LePage was asked what the next governor of Maine should do first. After replying that the new governor should “clean house” at the Department of Health and Human Services, LePage said: “If you recall, when I left the governorship, I said if they expand Medicaid, they’re going to hurt rural hospitals. They’re going to be back in a position not being able to pay the hospitals. And I’ve been right there, right straight on.”
- As governor, LePage vetoed legislation to expand Medicaid on seven occasions, citing the potential cost to the state. He called those vetoes “among the most important acts of my governorship” in July 2018.
- A LePage spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.
- “It’s inarguable that Medicaid expansion helped rural hospitals and health access. Compared to where we would be without it, it’s dramatic,” Dr. Noah Nesin, a family physician in Glenburn and senior medical adviser to an accountable care organization, told the Maine Independent in a phone interview.
- During the 2017 referendum campaign, the Maine Hospital Association endorsed expansion, citing the cost of having to cover uninsured Mainers. “We deal with over $100 million a year in charity care, providing services to the uninsured,” MHA vice president Jeff Austin told Maine Public Radio. “Expansion will not cover everyone and will not fully erase that liability off our members’ books, but it will help tremendously.”
- In July 2025, President Donald Trump signed a budget package estimated to cut about $1 trillion from Medicaid and other federal health programs over 10 years. A May 2025 estimate by the minority staff of Congress’ Joint Economic Committee predicted that more than 34,000 people in Maine would lose Medicaid coverage over that time.
- According to a Protect Our Care Maine fact sheet, over a decade, the Medicaid cuts will cost Maine hospitals a projected $1.5 billion. That is putting strain on already financially challenged rural health providers, according to the Maine Center for Economic Policy. Protect Our Care said 20 Maine health providers have closed, have announced cuts, or are at risk.
- LePage said in an August 2025 television interview on WMTW ABC 8 in Portland that he would have voted for the bill. He praised its tax cuts, saying, “I think it’s the greatest thing that can happen to the Maine people, particularly in CD2, which is rural and poor.”
- In a June 2025 Facebook post, LePage defended the Medicaid cuts: “Medicaid reform doesn’t hurt working families – it SAVES the program for the people who ACTUALLY need it – the elderly, the disabled and children. In Congress, I’ll fight to make sure that welfare works like it’s supposed to – as a HAND UP and NOT A HAND OUT. IT’S TIME TO GET OFF THE COUCH AND GET YOURSELF A JOB.”
- Nesin said the cuts will mean a $4 billion loss in federal funds for Maine over 10 years, which hurts everyone.
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