AUGUSTA (AP) – Democratic Gov. John Baldacci and officials of the Dirigo Health program he has championed are accustomed to critics asserting that government should leave the business of health insurance largely to the free marketplace. But there are other critics who contend private insurers are unreliable in the quest to make health care coverage available and affordable for all.

Green Independent Party candidate for governor Pat LaMarche partly spelled out that argument Tuesday at a State House news conference, calling Dirigo Health – with its emphasis on public-private partnering – an inevitable failure due to its design.

Declining for the time being to detail how she would finance an alternative, LaMarche said she is preparing to unveil her universal health care plan that she said would adopt a single-payer model. Scheduling the unveiling for Sept. 21, LaMarche said her plan would draw on recommendations from past studies.

For many advocates, a single-payer system is one in which government collects taxes and provides health care coverage for everyone. Such programs have been used in Canada and across Europe.

LaMarche said Tuesday she has a tax system restructuring in mind as a financing tool for her plan, which she said would be based on a single-payer approach with an emphasis on preventive care.

Maine’s experience “has brought us to a point where we can say health care for all. We can discuss it openly,” LaMarche said.

LaMarche also criticized a Dirigo Health advertising campaign that she said spent public money that could be better used for direct services.

Dirigo Health promoters said an eight-week ad campaign presenting testimonials for the program had been mounted for about $211,000.

A key part of the Dirigo Health program is its subsidies for low-income individuals and business employees. Subsidies are funded in part from savings offset payments made by health insurance carriers.

A Blue Ribbon Commission on Dirigo Health named by Baldacci convened last month. A principal task for the panel, which includes representatives of the insurance industry, advocates for doctors and hospitals, and business and organized labor officials, is to investigate long-term financing options for a public health care program that aims to insure Maine’s uninsured, control health care costs and improve the quality of health care.

The commission has been directed to submit a report with recommendations to the governor by Dec. 15.

AP-ES-09-12-06 1503EDT

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