AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Supporters of a public health bill enacted during this year’s legislative term say it will expand access to vaccines for Maine children and reduce costs of immunizations.
Gov. John Baldacci on Monday ceremonially signed the bill as its sponsors and supporters looked on.
The law will reduce the cost of immunizations by working with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to leverage the contract prices for vaccines at the federal rate. The cost of the program will be covered by an assessment on health insurance carriers and third-party vaccination administrators.
The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Rep. Gary Connor of Kennebunk, says it took work to build consensus among doctors, advocates and insurance companies to pass the bill.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.