SENATE APPROVES MEASURE TO ADDRESS FLAWED MAINECARE RIDES SYSTEM
Department’s mismanagement has cost taxpayers millions, hurt thousands of Mainers
AUGUSTA—In a 21-14 vote, the Senate gave initial approval to a measure sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson of Allagash to prevent the Department of Health and Human Services from renewing the failed contracts with current brokers of the troubled MaineCare rides system.
“Maine taxpayers are still paying millions of dollars for services that are just not being delivered. At a time of scarce resources, we can’t afford to pay for something we’re not getting,” said Senator Jackson. “Because of the ongoing mismanagement, thousands of our most vulnerable residents are missing critical doctor’s appointments and being left stranded on the side of the road. A vote against this bill is a vote for continued mismanagement that is hurting Maine people.”
The Department recently paid an additional $1.2 million to Coordinated Transportation Solutions in spite of ongoing criticism for poor performance.
About 45,000 people each month use the rides system, which costs $40 million per year. In August, the department switched from a transportation program operated by local nonprofits to a regional system run by so-called ride brokers.Since the transition, the new system has been plagued with failures and complaints: clients have had difficulty booking rides and patients have missed appointments because rides have been delayed or failed to show up completely.
“This is a big mess and the department doesn’t seem to know how to get out of it. Instead, the administration continues putting people’s lives at risk with inefficient contracts,” said Senator Margaret Craven of Lewiston, the Senate Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. “We’ve waited eight months for the administration to come up with a solution and they haven’t, so now the Legislature is taking action.”
In October, the Portland Press Herald revealed that Coordinated Transportation Solutions, one of the brokers hired to provide rides, had reported 160 complaints in August when the company’s complaint line actually received 3,662 calls. According to Stefanie Nadeau, the Director of MaineCare services for DHHS, 58 percent of callers hang up in frustration before reaching a live person.
“These patients are some of our most vulnerable and seriously ill among us—and they are missing critical doctor’s appointments. The mismanagement of this contract is hurting those who can afford it the least,” said Democratic Senator Colleen Lachowicz of Waterville, who serves on the Health and Human Services Committee.
The measure prevents DHHS from renewing the current contracts and sets up certain requirements for the new contracts, including monthly reports to the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee.
The bill, LD 1663, “Resolve, To Require New Contracts for MaineCare Nonemergency Transportation,” faces further votes in the House and the Senate.
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