by Gov. Paul LePage

I have laid out four basic principles to guide the Legislature’s decision on how to pay for Medicaid expansion. We must maintain the state’s long-term fiscal health and avoid the budget disasters of the past.

 DHHS estimates the cost of Medicaid expansion will be about $63 million in fiscal year 2019 and $82 million in 2020. It will rise to $97 million in 2021, then jump to more than $100 million every year after that — and the price tag will continue to grow.