The four Republicans running to replace Gov. Paul LePage are all vowing to carry on his legacy, but they are distinguished by some subtle and not-so-subtle differences in how they would do that. Rep. Ken Fredette of Newport, state Sen. Garrett Mason of Lisbon, former Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew of […]
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Posted inMaine
Mary Mayhew asks Trump administration for more MaineCare cuts
On the same day that advocates for expanding Medicaid coverage delivered more than 67,000 signatures to secure a public referendum on the issue, the state asked the new administration in Washington to let it scale back the federal health care program for the poor. For Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew, […]
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State Senate approves county jail funding
AUGUSTA — The Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation providing nearly $2.5 million in new funding to the state’s county jails. The bill, LD 1614, was amended to cover the costs using part of an anticipated increase in federal Medicaid matching funds the state expects to receive for 2016. It does not, however, offer a […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
No subpoena needed: Mayhew and Harper will appear to talk Riverview
The Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee will not have to subpoena members of the governor’s administration to compel them to answer questions about the Riverview Psychiatric Center. Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew and Riverview Superintendent Jay Harper have agreed to meet with the committee on Jan. 22. “We appreciate their cooperation […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
DHHS commissioner replaces, reassigns Maine CDC director
Sheila Pinette is no longer head the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention. However, even without managing the department, it appears she will still be responsible for a number of the public health-related duties she had at the CDC. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, said Tuesday that […]
Posted inMaine
Maine’s DHHS Commissioner urges AG action on welfare drug-test law
AUGUSTA — Maine’s commissioner for the state Department of Health and Human Services said Monday she is still waiting on the state’s top lawyer before moving forward on a law that’s nearly three years old. A federal law passed in 1996 prohibits distributing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to individuals who have been previously convicted […]
Posted inMaine
Legislature’s budget committee disappointed with answers on Riverview Psychiatric Center
AUGUSTA — Some lawmakers on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee on Tuesday were not satisfied with answers from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to a host of questions about Riverview Psychiatric Center. The state’s 92-bed center has been the focus of intense scrutiny since it lost $20 million in federal funding — about […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
More money, less money: the effects of not expanding MaineCare
The head of the Portland Community Health Center and her chief financial officer sat down last week to figure out which bills they could pay. They don’t have the money to pay all of them. More than half of their patients are uninsured, up from about 30 percent a few years ago. The health center […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Warden service finds body of fisherman
RAINBOW TOWNSHIP — The Maine Warden Service has recovered the body of a 60-year-old man who failed to contact his wife while he was alone on a fishing trip. Game wardens began searching for Roland Mayhew of Hampden after he didn’t call his wife on Wednesday, two days after he began a trip to local […]
Posted inMaine
Maine to issue photo EBT cards
AUGUSTA — The Maine Department of Health and Human Services said Friday it intends to move forward with a Gov. Paul LePage plan to put photographs on the state’s electronic benefits transfer cards. EBT cards are similar to bank debit cards and are used by the state to issue a variety of welfare benefits, including […]