Portland Press Herald: Likely GOP Gov. Candidate Mary Mayhew ‘Spread Suffering’ With Health Cuts

 Editorial: ‘Mayhew’s signature effort’ was rejecting Medicaid funding that could have helped with opioid crisis
Maine Republican Mary Mayhew recently stepped down as commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services to explore a run for governor.
Over the weekend, the Portland Press Herald Editorial Board sharply criticized Mayhew’s record of recklessly cutting funding for programs and hurting Mainers who needed help the most. Under Mayhew’s so-called reforms, Maine experienced its worst ever year for drug overdoses and the rate of children living in poverty is now growing eight times faster than the national average. Mayhew cut funding for the Drugs for the Elderly program, lowered reimbursement rates for mental illness treatment, and commissioned a debunked report to block Medicaid expansion.
Read the full editorial here:
Press Herald Editorial Board: Mary Mayhew has a history of misplaced priorities
The Editorial Board
5/28/2017
The Department of Human Services cut its budget by spreading suffering. That’s not reform.
During her six years as Maine commissioner of health and human services, Mary Mayhew has liked to talk about “the truly needy.”
She would roll out the phrase when she was explaining why Maine should offer less help, pay for fewer services or step back from its responsibilities to some people so there would be enough to pay for supports to others whom she considered more deserving.
Mayhew announced her resignation Wednesday at a “news conference” during which she refused to answer questions, so it’s still unclear what truly needy group she had in mind. … Continued here.