Brunswick’s Rep. Poppy Arford named vice chair of multi-state health policy panel

AUGUSTA – Rep. Poppy Arford, D-Brunswick, will serve as vice chair of the Council of State Governments East’s Health Policy Committee. Arford was appointed to the position on Jan. 31 after three years as a member of the panel. 

“I know Maine people are struggling with the ever-increasing cost of health care. Having gone through my husband’s cancer treatments, including a very scary adverse event, I also know how unexpected and overwhelming a diagnosis can be for a patient and their family. Because of those experiences, it is my passion and commitment to achieve affordable, patient-centered, high-quality health care for all Maine people,” said Arford. “I am honored to have been chosen to serve as the vice chair and look forward to serving alongside the committee chair, Senator Gustavo Rivera of New York, who is the main sponsor of a bill that would establish a single-payer health care system in New York State.”

The Health Policy Committee convenes policymakers from the eastern United States, eastern Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to identify health care delivery and affordability solutions and innovations that will result in improved health throughout the region. The committee’s membership includes officials from both legislative and executive branches of government.

Founded in 1933, the Council of State Governments is the nation’s only nonpartisan organization serving all three branches of state government. Its regional offices, including Council of State Governments East, engage officials to connect on issues relevant across state lines. 

Arford is serving her third term in the Maine House, representing District 101 in Brunswick. She is a member of the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee, where she has led bipartisan efforts for greater health care information transparency, including affordability, and universal publicly-funded health care coverage. She has served as a patient representative on statewide health care quality improvement and affordability efforts, including on the board of directors for the Maine Health Data Organization.