Voters Say No to Universal Home Care Initiative

Maine voters this week rejected a state-level proposal to create a universal home care program, reports Home Health Care News . The initiative would have delivered free, home-based care to adults over 65 and individuals with disabilities. This would require the taxation of high-income households, although critics have said others would have felt an impact, too. Almost 362,000 Mainers voted against the proposal in the midterms, with fewer than 215,000 residents supporting the initiative. The Maine Hospital Association objected to the proposal because of uncertainty regarding federal labor and health privacy laws, and its claim that any universal home care program should first go through the state Legislature.