November 08, 2017 12:28 PM UTC

At Least He's (Still) Not Your Governor (Again)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage has already been featured twice in our long-running series, “At Least They’re Not Your Legislator” (here, and here). Today marks the third mention for LePage, which is probably a record or something.

As The Hill reports:

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) said Wednesday his administration will not expand Medicaid until the state finds a way to pay for it, a day after voters approved a ballot measure to broaden the program.

“Credit agencies are predicting that this fiscally irresponsible Medicaid expansion will be ruinous to Maine’s budget,” LePage said in a statement.

“Therefore, my administration will not implement Medicaid expansion until it has been fully funded by the Legislature at the levels [the Department of Health and Human Services] has calculated, and I will not support increasing taxes on Maine families, raiding the rainy day fund or reducing services to our elderly or disabled.”

Maine voters on Tuesday approved a ballot measure calling for the state to expand Medicaid under ObamaCare, the first state to do so through a referendum.

Maine voters didn’t just approve a Medicaid expansion — they overwhelmingly supported the proposal. The measure passed on Tuesday by a 59-41 margin.

As the Washington Post explains, it doesn’t look like LePage can legally follow through with these threats:

Supporters of the ballot measure say that LePage has no choice but to implement it. The measure dictates that the state has until mid-August to get its Medicaid expansion plan approved by the federal government. After that date, a new group of qualifying Mainers should be able to enroll in Medicaid.

If they can’t, LePage could open himself up to a lawsuit. Once a state elects to participate in the Medicaid program, as Maine has, that state is legally bound to comply with federal law.

Thankfully for Mainers, LePage is term-limited out of office in 2018.