State
Think Tank CEO Turns Spotlight on Dirigo Health
By Maine Heritage Policy Center
Jun 26, 2008 - 10:14:26 AM

PORTLAND -- Tarren Bragdon, chief executive officer of The Maine Heritage Policy Center, released a report today spotlighting the failures of Maine's experimental government health care program, Dirigo Health. Now in its fifth year of operation, Mr. Bragdon notes that Dirigo, as measured by the agency's original goals, is "a costly failure."

In the report, Mr. Bragdon reminds us of the promises that Dirigo would be self-sustaining, never require new or increased taxes for its funding, and that it would cover 128,000 uninsured Maine people by the year 2009. With only 3,917 previously uninsured enrollees and a $57 to $72 million tax increase passed on April 15, 2008 - Tax Day - to fund Dirigo, Mr. Bragdon points out the level to which those initial promises were broken.

"Voters were assured Dirigo would never require an increase in taxes. Those promises were repeatedly broken, most recently when Governor Baldacci signed the April 15th tax increase into law," said Mr. Bragdon.

With a list of ten facts concerning the program, the report details the many other failures of Dirigo Health. For example, despite Dirigo Health, Maine's uninsured rate between 2003 and 2006 (the last year of available data) has remained relatively unchanged. In addition, DirigoChoice, the new government insurance program created by Dirigo Health, has been closed to new enrollees since September 1, 2007, because of financial difficulties. The report also explains that the Dirigo Health program has cost Maine taxpayers over $100 million since 2005.

"This report is meant to educate Mainers about a failed program, and the huge tax increases and failed policies State government continues to implement to keep it on life support," Mr. Bragdon said. "There is no chance of Dirigo coming close to meeting its goal of covering Maine's uninsured, and despite that, politicians just passed millions of dollars in new taxes on beer, wine, soda, flavored water, and even health insurance claims."

To read this new issue report, please visit MainePolicy.Org or click here: DirigoWatch.