It totally amazes me that the state of Maine could find itself in such a mess. The federal government mandated that the state switch to a new computer system, but apparently failed to provide adequate training for the people who have to use the system.
Health providers and caregivers for the mentally ill, mentally retarded, disabled and foster children on Medicaid are not being paid or are only receiving partial payments due to a glitch in the system. This is not a slight delay in payment; some providers have not received any funds in 2005. Just recently, Dr. David Walter, a well-known local pediatrician, was forced to close his practice or go bankrupt.
Meanwhile, Gov. Baldacci is said to be “monitoring” the situation. He has now given the Department of Health and Human Services 30 days to fix the problem. How much longer can private foster caregivers and medical providers continue to operate without these payments? How many more Dr. Walters are we going to lose?
This situation is now reaching crisis status. Perhaps the caregivers for these thousands of individuals need to bring their clients to the Blaine House for lunch to help monitor the situation. Perhaps the legislators could serve them all Moxie since declaring the beverage the official state soft drink seems to be a priority at this time.
Sharon Henson, Litchfield
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