If smokers elegibility for MaineCare benefity is in question then wouldent is only be logical to ask the very same question regarding other areas where people need help. People that need help should be able to get help. One group of statistical population should not be inelegible for much needed health care without a plan in place that is ready to react. Supplemental benefits for smokers paid for by the cigarette companies that want to sell their product in our state. Tell cigarette companies that if they want to continue to sell their product in out state then they are going to have to provide all the care for the "cause" of their product use.

Being a smoker for over 40 years, i will write this comment objectively. Cigarette smoke and tobacco related products are proven to cause certain cancers, as well as a host of illnesses, such as C.O.P.D, Mouth cankers, and a large number of other illnesses. When the average person chooses to smoke, i would assume they are aware that smoking may cause such illnesses. However so, i must also point out that many foods we consume on a daily basis, has its equal dangers, and items such as sugar substitutes have also been tested and proven to cause cancers. What does cigarette smoking and foods / sugars have to do with the question? Simple, a great many of persons who have *MaineCare Insurance, use said sugars, and foods, however, no argument is being raised to restrict these persons from having or gaining *MaineCare, so why would smoking be any different? Both stated issues are widely known, and obviously, equally dangerous in the extreme. Since Cigarette smoking is highly addictive, instead of restricting *MaineCare, i would trust it would be more productive to create a program within *MaineCare that would help persons stop smoking, or atleast teach the dangers of long term exposures to cigarette smoke. I am a strong believer that ALL people should be given right to have and / or recieve Health insurance and that whether one smokes or not should not be a deciding factor. Reality is, we ALL will become sick at one point or another in our lives, and to pose the issue of smokers NOT being able to have same healthcare as non-smokers, is, as far as i can understand, imposing upon constitutionality of the very notion. I have been a smoker for 40 plus years, and do not have the will power to quit on my own power. To say i no longer am eligible to have basic healthcare because of an addiction is by far, biased in its own wording. It is wrong to take healthvare from anyone, and outright questionable constitutionaly to do so based on whether one smokes or not. [Donna]

ever wonder who thinks up this stuff? lets blame the poor for the economy , lets blame the cigerate makers for cancer. having seen the end result of various relitives passing because of smokng i fail to see the conection, are we a free country or a dictator ship? do you have free will or not? did some one put a gun to your head and force you to smoke? you made the choice but as we are all subject to second hand smoke who is to say weather it was caused by first hand or second hand smoke , once you have a condition you need help are we to be so cold blooded as to refuse help to those who need it? just to save a few pennies? in a caring country as we potray our selves this should not even be a question. we are compled to help all who need it. if you truely belive we are of 1 human race then the answer is every one deservies medical help. even those who cause some of thier own problems, after all what about a accdent victum ,maybe they caused an accdent should they be denighd medical help? elected officials stop wasting your time with this stuff and get the taxes down ,jobs for all who need them and keep our military strong.

i started smoking at 13 year's old before i knew about cancer and all other diseases,yes i'm on MaineCare and i don't think i should be kicked off just because i smoke i stated above people do cause themselves harm every day and if you punish 1 and not the other it makes you a bunch of Hippocrates and who is to judge one from the other This is a great country and it seem's to me the Government is taking away all of our Right's one at a time.Do you really think we don't notice? it would be less painless if you did it all at once and get it over with.