Recent letters and guest columns in the Sun Journal have raised issues concerning the recent failure of Maine to expand MaineCare, and attempts to obstruct the Affordable Care Act — the law of the land — that I would like to address.

MaineCare expansion was favored by strong majorities in both the Maine Senate and the House, and the two-thirds majority required to overturn the governor’s veto failed by only two votes in the House. That vote is yet another sad example of minority ruling.

Now, Republican hard-liners in the U.S. Congress, without the votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act, have shut down the government in an attempt to halt the act’s implementation. It is not going to work.

In Maine, opponents of MaineCare expansion have claimed that no one dies due to the lack of health insurance but, at the same time, admit the lack of health care does cause premature death. However, in this country, is not quality health care access typically a function of having insurance?

In addition, opponents state that Maine’s poorest will be covered even without the expansion of MaineCare. In fact, on Jan. 1, 2014, 10,000 of the poorest Mainers, those at or below the poverty level, will have their MaineCare coverage dropped with no opportunity to gain coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Another 14,500 Mainers just above the poverty line will also lose coverage. An additional 45,000 low-income Mainers would be denied access to MaineCare due to the failure of the expansion.

Other writers spew tea party economic rhetoric where the government is always broke. Yet, somehow Maine hands out millions of dollars of tax breaks and subsidies each year. Those include the LePage 2011 income and estate tax changes that reduce state revenues by nearly $200 million per year and benefit the wealthy disproportionately.

Other breaks permit corporations and wealthy individuals to shelter money in foreign tax havens such as the Cayman Islands, costing Maine $58 million a year in tax revenue, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.

The Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement program cost the state nearly $48 million in fiscal year 2013, with little shown benefit. According to the Maine Center on Economic Policy, exemptions on finance, insurance and real-estate services sales tax cost the state more than $300 million last year, again benefiting mostly higher-income people.

In contrast, the recently-enacted 0.5 percent increase in general sales tax hurts lower-income Mainers more significantly. What is fair about those tax policies?

How will those 69,500 Mainers afford health care for the next 10 years without the expansion? Why is their lack of health care access less important than making the wealthy wealthier and corporations making even greater profits?

When the federal government offers to cover these Mainers with MaineCare (Medicaid) health insurance, 100 percent for three years, and at a minimum 90 percent for the following seven years, some ridiculously say that Maine cannot afford even the administrative costs. MECEP estimates that in Androscoggin County alone, nearly 400 jobs would be created, nearly 6,000 individuals would be eligible for health coverage and nearly $31 million would be injected into the local economy if Maine accepted the federal funds.

With more tax fairness and an infusion of federal funds, maybe Maine could afford MaineCare expansion, and perhaps reinstate full municipal revenue sharing and fund local education to levels approved by the voters?

States, including Maine and its tea party governor, are clearly using opposition to MaineCare (Medicaid) expansion to obstruct the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

In addition, the failure to operate state health exchanges and suggestions to youth to forgo health insurance, or creating laws making it difficult for people to enroll, are further attempts by opponents at obstructionism.

The worst example is the present government shutdown. It is utterly unethical to try to obstruct a law designed to improve the health of our citizens, without any alternative, especially at a time when income inequality is approaching record levels.

But obstructionism will fail.

As the Affordable Care Act moves forward, despite the snags and delays, Americans will realize its more positive attributes and sign up for coverage. It has already permitted more than 3 million people under the age of 26 to stay on their parents’ insurance plan; 17 million children with pre-existing conditions cannot be excluded from insurance eligibility or be forced to pay higher premiums; and more than 20 million currently uninsured will gain coverage.

Countless Americans, including volunteers, will gladly assist others in enrolling and improving the act until all have access to quality, affordable health care.

That is what we must do as Americans.

Jim Lysen of Lewiston was the planning director in Lewiston for 15 years and for the past 10 years has been a health care administrator.