AUGUSTA — Democrats on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee introduced a bill Monday that would cancel a nearly $1 million contract signed by Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration with a controversial welfare consultant, the Alexander Group. In September 2013, the LePage administration contracted with the group, headed by former Pennsylvania and Rhode Island […]
Medicaid
Posted inOp-Eds
George Hill: Increasing Medicaid coverage for women good for families
At a rally in January, Gov. Paul LePage stated that outlawing abortion is the solution to Maine’s declining population. Apparently, he believes that forcing women to have children they are not prepared to parent is key to a prosperous future. This is an interesting approach, considering the many ways LePage has made it harder for […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
York agency lays off 23 as it leaves Medicaid rides program
SANFORD (AP) — A Sanford-based nonprofit that will stop providing rides for Maine Medicaid patients has let go more than 20 employees. York County Community Action Corp. announced in December that it would stop working with the state contractor that arranges rides in the county effective Feb. 7 because it was losing money. The agency […]
Posted inLetters
P. Hoffman and J. Cogan: Do what is right and decent
“One cannot pick oneself up by the bootstraps when bedridden by a chronic but treatable illness.” — Marguerite Pennoyer, MD, Sun Journal column, Jan. 24. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution emphasizes the importance of “promoting the general welfare,” to preserve our freedoms and prosperity as a whole society. “Welfare” today is given a negative […]
Posted inLocal & State
LePage meets with GOP lawmakers to discuss Medicaid
AUGUSTA — Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Thursday invited a select group of state lawmakers to an “informational session” held during a luncheon at the Blaine House, the governor’s official residence. Those asked to attend included a number of rural Republican state representatives who have either said they would support a Medicaid expansion or who […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine Medical Association urges lawmakers to compromise on Medicaid expansion
AUGUSTA — A band of health care providers speaking on behalf of the Maine Medical Association urged lawmakers Thursday to reach a bipartisan compromise to expand the state’s Medicaid program to cover a larger group of low-income residents. Doctors and a nurse practitioner speaking during a news conference at the State House said they favor […]
Posted inLocal & State
Democrats trying to grow ‘bipartisan coalition’ to expand MaineCare
AUGUSTA — A key committee of the Legislature tabled a bill Wednesday that would vastly expand the state’s Medicaid program, as Democratic lawmakers worked to build a bipartisan coalition to support the expansion. The measure, LD 1578, is similar to two others vetoed by Republican Gov. Paul LePage in 2013. Further discussion was postponed by […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Alexander Group defends report against claim of $575 million error
At question was a calculation by the Alexander Group in its Medicaid Expansion Feasibility Study that attempted to calculate the cost of a potential expansion. The group said that expanding Medicaid, known in the state as MaineCare, would cost Maine $807 million over 10 years. Crucial to that calculation is the projected contribution of the […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
National health care analyst questions Maine Medicaid report
PORTLAND (AP) — A national health care analyst is questioning a study of Medicaid expansion commissioned by the LePage administration, including what she says is a miscalculation that produced a $575 million error. Kathy Gifford of Health Management Associates reviewed the study, part of a $925,000 review of Maine’s welfare system. Gov. Paul LePage has […]
Posted inLocal & State
Drafts show Maine Medicaid study reworked, softened
AUGUSTA — A state-funded study on the impact of a Medicaid expansion was modified substantially from its first to final draft, according to a Bangor Daily News and Sun Journal review of multiple revision documents. Late on Friday, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services released three earlier versions of the Rhode Island-based Alexander […]