4 min read

At the end of May, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a GOP megabill potentially affecting millions of Americans receiving Medicaid, a federal and state partnership program that helps 72 million people nationwide. With harsher requirements and more verifications, it would put health insurance to over 400,000 individuals in Maine in jeopardy; nationally, over 8 million Americans could be disqualified.

Among the groups in danger in Maine are fishing industry workers who rely on Medicaid. Fishing is one of Maine’s largest industries, bringing in approximately $3.2 billion a year. As the largest lobster-producing state, the 2021 catch set a record, bringing in over $730.6 million. This sector supports over 33,300 jobs statewide — nearly 13,000 in harvesting alone — including direct and indirect employment, according to a Middlebury Institute report.

These are physically demanding jobs. Injuries affecting shoulders, arms, elbows and hands are prevalent in a large percentage of lobster and shellfish harvesters, often leaving them vulnerable to physical, mental and substance use-related disorders. Working long hours, social isolation and high levels of physical activity contribute to the harshness of the job. Current research finds that fishermen and women are more at risk for negative physical and mental health implications, such as engaging in unhealthy behaviors like alcohol use, marijuana use and tobacco use.

Due to the unique nature of lobstering and fishing contracts, many individuals in this industry lack health care coverage. Eleven percent of Americans state that they could not afford medications and health care within the past three months. Among Maine’s fishing industry, rates of those with no health care coverage is 8.7% higher than the general population. Because many are self-employed or independent contractors, they are left without the standard benefits that many occupations provide.

Cutting back on eligibility and reimbursements while increasing requirements for health care would not only hurt tens of millions of Americans, but would significantly harm those who keep Maine’s economy booming — the nearly 33,000 workers in Maine’s fishing industry.

Advocacy for this group is needed in order to ensure resources that will help their overall well-being. There are valuable community organizations now working to improve the health and well-being of our fishing laborers. Arise Addiction Recovery, for example, supports those struggling with addiction through an outreach program that not only helps fishermen and women “get clean” from drug usage, but to also obtain the skills and tools needed to stay clean once back into society.

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Healthy Harvesters, a program partnered by the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety, the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries and the Opiate-Free Island Partnership, is another. Research from a 2022 study found that addictions and overdoses in lobster and shellfish harvesters in multiple Maine counties was significantly linked to limited access to health care.

Alongside them, researchers found major concerns for their health include substance use, drinking, mental health, stress, musculoskeletal problems, back pain and joint problems. With programs like this, the harmful link between lack of health care and substance use in communities, like the fishing industry, is evident.

Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association is a nonprofit organization that aims to preserve the fisheries and fishing communities of Maine by financially supporting services for mental health and substance abuse to keep our fishing communities healthy. The National Alliance on Mental Illness for Maine (NAMI Maine) has also generated awareness with a blog on the health of Maine’s fishermen, showcasing a community of workers whose struggles are often not talked about enough.

Community awareness alongside the preservation of affordable health care, like Medicaid, can help keep not only Maine’s fishermen and women — one of the backbones of our economy — safe, but other Mainers and Americans as well. By providing access to resources that can better the health of the workers of one of Maine’s larger industries, we can ensure that this business is protected. And, by implementing the solidification of affordable health care and community awareness, we can create a better mental, physical and emotional quality of life for those pursuing this occupation.

Keeping Maine’s fishermen and women safe and healthy enables the state to continue providing quality seafood to the 10.1 million tourists each year, with 64% coming specifically for the food, and 42% for lobster itself. And importantly, it ensures that we can continue to eat the most delicious seafood on the East Coast.

Voice your support to preserve federal- and state-funded health care by reaching out to Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King, Rep. Chellie Pingree, Rep. Jared Golden and Gov. Janet Mills. It is urgently needed. It is their votes which will ensure that the Maine fishing industry will have access to critical health care through Medicaid.

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