Expanding Medicaid would be 'sinful,' LePage says (Portland Press Herald)

Gov. Paul LePage on Friday called a proposed expansion of Medicaid “sinful” during an appearance in Kennebunk, his starkest condemnation of the plan yet

The comment, first reported in the York County Coast Star, drew criticism from his two challengers for governor, Democratic 2nd District Rep. Mike Michaud and independent Eliot Cutler.

“I’ve given up trying to interpret what the governor says because too often – and this is one of those times – it just makes no sense whatsoever,” said Cutler, who supports the expansion of MaineCare, as Medicaid is called in Maine.

“What we are talking about here is providing life-saving health care to tens of thousands of Mainers and Gov. LePage is calling it sinful,” Michaud said in a statement. “I don’t know how he explains that to the 70,000 Mainers – including nearly 3,000 veterans – who are counting on him to do the right moral thing and sign the bipartisan Medicaid expansion plan into law.”