In 2002, Maine received HRSA State Planning Grant funds to provide the technical, analytic, and organizational support needed to evaluate several health reform proposals. The data collected under this grant included a household survey to develop a profile of the uninsured, survey of businesses on trends in the marketplace, and focus groups of consumers.
In 2003, the Dirigo Health Reform Act passed. This comprehensive reform package authorized Medicaid expansions and the creation of a state-sponsored program with sliding scale premium subsidies for low- and moderate-income working families. The new insurance product, DirigoChoice, began enrollment in 2005. The Act also mandated an ongoing state planning process and created commissions and agencies.
In 2005, Maine received a HRSA pilot planning project grant to further refine and improve the Dirigo Health Reform. Specially, the grant allowed Maine to increase employer participation in DirigoChoice by testing changes in the benefit package, subsidy, and a new marketing program. In addition, Maine undertook new cost containment strategies.
State Profiles
