Steven Michaud served for nearly four decades with the Maine Hospital Association, including 27 years as its president, where he was a leading advocate for Maine’s hospitals, healthcare providers and patients.
Maine has no stronger or more effective advocate for its hospitals than Sen. Susan Collins. From authoring the largest investment in rural healthcare in more than two decades to opposing nearly $880 billion in cuts to the Medicaid program, she has consistently fought to protect and enhance access to care for patients across the state.
Approximately 1 in 4 Mainers, and half of Maine children, rely on Medicaid. That’s why Collins was an early and outspoken opponent of cuts to this essential program in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and ultimately voted against the legislation.
Typically, when senators make clear that they will vote against a bill, they have little leverage in the negotiations. Collins proved otherwise.
She continued working to improve the bill and secure provisions that would benefit Maine. Her efforts were instrumental in establishing a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund, which will enable rural hospitals in Maine and across the country to invest in new facilities, modern equipment and other critical upgrades. Maine will receive $190 million through the program this year alone. According to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, this funding will “strengthen operations and preserve access to care over the long term.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Collins demonstrated that same determination. As hospitals struggled with sharply rising costs and caseloads, she authored the law creating the Provider Relief Fund, which served as a crucial lifeline for hospitals experiencing substantial financial losses. When she learned that rural providers had received only 6% of the initial funding, she worked across the aisle with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to author an amendment providing an additional $35 billion to the fund, with 20% explicitly set aside for rural health providers. Their bipartisan amendment passed the Senate 99-1.
As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Collins has delivered significant direct investments to hospitals throughout Maine. Over the past five years, she has secured nearly $120 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for Maine hospitals.
These investments have supported emergency department expansions and renovations, hospital facility and safety improvements, medical equipment purchases, electronic medical records upgrades, oncology and infusion services, labor and delivery equipment, behavioral health services, ambulance and EMS capacity and more. Together, these projects have strengthened hospitals across Maine and helped patients receive the care they need closer to home.
Here’s just one example of how this funding is transforming care for Mainers: In May, the Millinocket Regional Hospital opened a new emergency department after receiving nearly $13.4 million secured by Sen. Collins. The project doubled the number of rooms available to patients and significantly expanded emergency care capacity for the region.
Recognizing that patient outcomes are directly tied to high-quality staffing, Collins has also been a leader in addressing persistent workforce shortages and training gaps. She has championed legislation to create programs that prepare rural hospitals to respond to obstetric emergencies, educate geriatric healthcare professionals, expand student loan repayment for nurses, support the mental health and well-being of healthcare professionals and help rural and medically underserved Maine communities recruit and retain physicians.
The record is clear: As Maine healthcare providers continue to battle significant headwinds, Sen. Collins has been their steadfast and effective advocate. She consistently uses her power, influence and mastery of the legislative process to strengthen hospitals, expand access to care and deliver results for patients across Maine.
Read the Op-Ed: Portland Press Herald