As part of a statewide day of protests, dozens of people gathered in Westbrook on Saturday to voice their opposition to federal changes to Medicaid and the food assistance program SNAP.
It is projected that over a trillion dollars would be lost from Medicaid and SNAP over the next ten years as a result of the budget bill that Congress enacted and President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this month. It is anticipated that millions of Americans, including tens of thousands in Maine, will no longer get benefits.
Auburn resident Gina Morin fears she will be one of them. She claims that because she has a chronic disease, she depends on both services.
“It’s a full time job to have to navigate a life of not having what you need to meet your basic needs,” Morin stated. “So adding more onto us is just making it that much worse.”
As a single mother, Charlotte Jacobs, program director of a preschool in Gorham, says she was dependent on Medicaid, often known as MaineCare, and SNAP.
“I wouldn’t have been able to really get out of the spot I was in if I didn’t have access to SNAP benefits and MaineCare as a young mom with a one year old,” Jacobs stated. “And that allowed me to get on my feet.”
The budget package not only cuts public investments but also modifies eligibility rules, which critics claim will exclude eligible individuals.
Over 30,000 Mainers are expected to lose their MaineCare coverage, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
