Maine Governor Janet Mills is warning that her state cannot afford the large cuts in federal assistance included in the massive tax and spending legislation currently awaiting a final vote in the House of Representatives. More than 30,000 people would lose their health care coverage and up to four rural hospitals could close in the first year alone, according to Maine's Department of Health and Human Services.
"The cost of health care in rural states is enormous to begin with. We can't be shifting the cost to the states. We can't be shifting the cost to working families," the Democratic governor told Morning Edition.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill, which contains much of President Trump's domestic agenda, would cut federal spending on Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplaces by about $1 trillion over the next decade.
"We've removed a lot of people from Medicaid already and put them onto the Affordable Care Act, which is also cut in this bill," Mills said. "These are working people who need health care."
The bill, which the Senate passed Tuesday, could leave nearly 12 million people across the country uninsured, threatening Americans' physical, mental and financial health.
Mills spoke with NPR's Leila Fadel about how the Senate's bill would affect Maine's healthcare system and residents overall.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Leila Fadel: So after the Senate approved this legislation yesterday, you said this would hurt Maine residents. What are your concerns specifically?
Gov. Janet Mills: Well, first of all, Medicaid is a serious, serious problem, the cuts to Medicaid. And it'll result in about $4.5 billion in cuts to Medicaid in Maine alone over the next decade. About 400,000 people, [among] our 1.4 million people in Maine right now, use Medicaid for their health insurance. That includes about 190,000 children. And in addition, about 175,000 people rely on food stamps or SNAP for nutrition. The cost of administering the program, the SNAP program being shifted on to the states will result in about a $60 million a year cost to the state of Maine. Maine is not a wealthy state. We're a rural state. People describe this bill as beautiful. I don't see anything beautiful about it. There's nothing pretty about cutting food to hungry children. Nothing pretty about preventing people from getting to their doctor when they have a healthcare problem or preventing the doctor from being paid. Nothing pretty about threatening rural hospitals or driving up the cost of energy, especially in a state that relies on oil for heat now and depends so much on the fluctuating prices of petroleum products.
Fadel: Governor, what are you going to do if this bill does pass? I mean, how will the state move forward? And what are you going to do for Maine residents?
Mills: We just passed the state budget barely a week ago, and we'll be looking again at revenues and costs and trying to adjust changes here and there. I've been against raising taxes. I remain against raising taxes on Maine people, which makes it even more difficult to raise taxes because of the costs on low income and middle income people in Maine. We've removed a lot of people from Medicaid already and put them onto the Affordable Care Act, which is also cut in this bill. So to put people on the Affordable Care Act in the marketplace and then say, 'Well, we're going to take that away as well,' these are working people who need health care. The cost of health care in rural states is enormous to begin with. We can't be shifting the cost to the states. We can't be shifting the cost to working families.
Fadel: This legislation is going to the House. Do you have anything that you would say to Republican House members as they take this up?
Mills: Think carefully. What is the emergency about passing this bill? What is the emergency? Take your time. Read all 900 and something pages and think about the costs in your states. Every child who's going hungry. Every person who needs health care to save their lives, to maintain their families.
The digital version of this story was edited by Olivia Hampton.
Copyright 2025 NPR
