AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday expressed frustration with the pace and substance of deliberations over his proposed $220 million cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services. In a highly unusual and unscripted move, LePage walked into the tail end of a joint work session between DHHS staff and the Legislature’s budgetary […]
Maine Legislature
Posted inLocal & State
New DHHS claims system gets federal OK
AUGUSTA — The state Department of Health and Human Services announced that the federal government has certified its Medicare and Medicaid claims system. The previously substandard claims system had prevented DHHS from receiving full federal reimbursement on benefit claims. The state’s billing system has failed to meet federal standards since 2005, forcing Maine’s federal reimbursement […]
advertisement
Posted inLocal & State, Op-Eds, The Franklin Journal
Political Pulse: The money behind Question 1
Nuggets from the notebook while reviewing some of the money behind Question 1 … One of the more controversial political ads from the battle over Election Day voter registration came from Secure Maine’s Ballot, the group that fought to ensure the repeal of Maine’s 38-year-old law. A week before the election the ballot question committee […]
Posted inLocal & State
Some LePage DHHS cuts require elusive federal waiver
AUGUSTA — The Legislature could be rolling the dice if it passes Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed Medicaid cuts, several of which would require federal waivers. LePage told reporters this week that the Legislature would have to pass his $220 million in cuts before the state can apply for an exemption from provisions in the federal […]
Posted inLocal & State
BEP scrutinizes plan to expedite wetlands permitting
AUGUSTA — The Board of Environmental Protection on Thursday scrutinized a proposal designed to loosen permitting requirements for people who want to build near so-called moderate-value wetlands. The proposal, part of a legislative directive last session to expedite permitting, had set environmental groups on high alert after the Department of Environmental Protection submitted a plan […]
Posted inLocal & State
LePage, Democrats dispute origin, magnitude of DHHS shortfall
AUGUSTA — As lawmakers on Tuesday dissected the causes of a projected $220 million budget shortfall in the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, the political jockeying stepped up in earnest over the LePage administration’s proposal to remove more than 65,000 Mainers from the state’s Medicaid program. Lawmakers on the Legislature’s budgetary committee grilled […]
Posted inLocal & State
Public hearing elicits strong opposition to governor’s DHHS cuts
AUGUSTA — The words didn’t come easily for Tina Gray. At first, they didn’t come at all. Gray was one of the first of more than 140 people to testify before lawmakers Wednesday against Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to cut $220 million from the state’s Medicaid program and strip more than 65,000 people of health […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine lawmakers begin review of Planning Office dissolution
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers on the Legislature’s budgetary committee Tuesday questioned the LePage administration’s proposal to dissolve the state’s planning agency while creating a new department designed to bolster the governor’s streamlining efforts. The administration outlined its proposal to panelists on the Appropriations Committee. The plan includes dismantling the State Planning Office and redistributing its duties […]
Posted inLocal & State
Environmental group says LePage ‘green’ order promotes destructive logging
AUGUSTA — A national environmental group says Gov. Paul LePage’s recent executive order expanding the standards for “green” timber required for state construction projects would lead to unsustainable wood harvesting. Last week, the governor announced the broader standards for timber used in new or expanded state building construction. The administration said the order would bolster […]
Posted inLocal & State, Op-Eds, The Franklin Journal
Political Pulse: Life by a million cuts for LePage’s proposed agency
Nuggets from the notebook while reviewing the mandate for Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed new state agency . . . Starting Tuesday LePage’s proposed $221 million in cuts in the state’s MaineCare program will take center stage as the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee begins its review of the governor’s restructuring plan. But flying under the radar is […]