LEWISTON — Got questions for the governor? Comments, suggestions? Here’s your chance. On Thursday, Gov. Paul LePage will be back in his hometown as part of the administration’s Capitol for a Day tour. It will be the 12th Capitol for a Day since the governor kicked off the program last year. The Lewiston Regional Technical […]
Paul LePage
Posted inMaine
Lawmakers give first approval to several of LePage’s DHHS cuts
AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee has given preliminary approval to a series of cuts to childhood development, smoking cessation and other health programs. The funding cuts are part of Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to remove $220 million from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to meet a projected budget […]
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Hospitals say LePage’s DHHS budget ignores debt owed them
AUGUSTA, Maine — As lawmakers grapple with the governor’s proposal to close a more than $120 million shortfall in the Department of Health and Human Services budget for the next six months, the funding gap could be twice as big. The state owes hospitals $125 million through the remainder of this fiscal year, debt that […]
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Political Pulse: LURC bill plagued by committee sparring
Nuggets from the notebook while wondering if the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee can be put back together again . . . Each session, every legislative committee develops a working dynamic. How a committee handles the controversial bills that come before it can depend on the personalities of lawmakers on the committee and the leadership of the […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Making the sick sicker won’t solve budget woes
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, the House Republicans’ budget guru, is a smart guy. Chosen for a year-end Washington Post feature, he produced a chart showing federal spending as a proportion of the national income. Projected into the future, major portions of the budget – defense, Social Security benefits – are essentially flat, which could be […]
Posted inMaine
LePage helps launch low-income heating program
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage on Friday helped kick off a fundraising collaborative to help low-income Mainers purchase heating fuel. The initiative, Keep ME Warm, is designed to bolster heating assistance amid federal cuts to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The program, organized and administered by the 10 statewide chapters of the United […]
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LePage: Fix DHHS budget gap, then we’ll talk borrowing for infrastructure
AUGUSTA — After swearing off bonds for the first time in two decades last year, Maine lawmakers are hoping the state can resume borrowing for road, bridge and research and development projects. However, lawmakers will have to plug the projected $220 million shortfall at the Department of Health and Human Services before Gov. Paul LePage […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage plan would cut MaineCare coverage for families making more than $22,350
AUGUSTA, Maine — The viability of the Dirigo Health program is closely entwined with Gov. Paul LePage’s plan to overhaul MaineCare, lawmakers learned Thursday. The governor’s proposal, designed to close an estimated $220 million gap in the Department of Health and Human Services budget, calls for axing MaineCare coverage for about 19,000 childless adults in […]
Posted inMaine
Increased MaineCare enrollment drives small portion of DHHS shortfall
AUGUSTA — The projected — and hotly disputed — $220 million shortfall at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services has produced confusing rhetoric and statistics from Gov. Paul LePage and state officials. At the heart of the debate is an ideological divide between Republicans and Democrats over the scope of the state’s Medicaid program. […]
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DHHS chief says time to act on MaineCare cuts, but lawmakers want more analysis
AUGUSTA — Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew told the Legislature’s budgetary panel Tuesday that she believes lawmakers have enough information to move forward with solutions to address her department’s $220 million budget shortfall. However, some lawmakers on the Appropriations Committee said they still want additional, independent analysis of DHHS numbers before […]