More coverage: LePage sparks debate over expanding Medicaid AUGUSTA — Maine Democrats say they’ll reintroduce a measure in January to expand Medicaid coverage to more low-income residents under the federal health care overhaul. Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves of North Berwick and Assistant Democratic Leader Anne Haskell of Portland on Tuesday called on Republican Gov. Paul […]
Medicaid
Posted inOp-Eds
Medicaid expansion anything but ‘free money’ from the Feds
A Sept. 6 editorial in this newspaper suggested that Maine will soon be missing out on “big checks” from the federal government to pay for health insurance in Maine. The piece took Gov. Paul LePage and many Republicans in the Legislature to task for not agreeing to expand MaineCare (Maine’s version of Medicaid) to an […]
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Posted inLocal & State
Maine ride program still off target as passengers, drivers and agencies struggle
AUGUSTA — The state’s struggling non-emergency ride program has made some marginal improvements but is nowhere near where state officials or those who depend upon it and volunteer for it would like. Lawmakers on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday revisited issues that started with the $40 million program after the state […]
Posted inOur View
In January, we start giving up millions
Suppose, just suppose, other states were receiving millions of dollars in federal aid to help support their doctors and hospitals, money that was unavailable to us in Maine. We’d be sore about that. Outraged would be more like it. But that is exactly what will begin happening on Jan. 1, 2014, when the federal government […]
Posted inLetters
M. Perreault: Gov. LePage doesn’t care
I read the Sun Journal article with regard to Medicaid (Aug. 5). Another reason why Gov. Paul LePage should step down, the sooner the better. He has absolutely no feelings for poor people in this state. Taking Medicaid away from people who really need it will only cause even greater hardship. It will be extremely […]
Posted inOur View
Chaos was predictable in new ride system
Call it a test, or call it a pilot project. Sometimes it’s better to dip your foot in the water rather than diving right in. Which is what the State of Maine did Aug. 1 when it switched local coordination of rides for poor people to a Connecticut company. The switch away from local control […]
Posted inLocal & State
Schools face new debt for MaineCare payments
AUBURN — Nearly 20 public school systems in Maine are being asked to repay often sizable MaineCare funding from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Robert Nadeau, a lawyer representing 12 of the school systems, including the Auburn School Department, said he’s aware of more than $2 million the department is trying to […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine schools told they overbilled Medicaid
AUGUSTA (AP) — More than two dozen Maine school systems have been told that they’ve overbilled Medicaid for speech therapy and other services provided to low-income students with disabilities. The Kennebec Journal reports that the state Department of Health and Human Services has notified districts about improper billing that could cost some of them hundreds […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine DHHS says schools overbilled Medicaid
AUGUSTA — More than two dozen Maine school systems have been told that they’ve overbilled Medicaid for speech therapy and other services provided to low-income students with disabilities. The Kennebec Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1859qgv) that the state Department of Health and Human Services has notified districts about improper billing that could cost some of them hundreds […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
More than 15,000 to lose Medicaid coverage in January
AUGUSTA — Many states are gearing up to enroll more residents into Medicaid coverage starting in January. But thousands of Mainers are preparing to lose coverage this winter because of changes to the state’s program and the decision not to expand coverage under the federal health care overhaul. More than 15,000 low-income parents are expected […]