AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine’s Democratic governor has told federal regulators that the state won’t move forward on her predecessor’s plan to require certain Medicaid recipients to work or volunteer.
Gov. Janet Mills wrote Tuesday to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that she’s instead directing Maine’s health and labor agencies to help prepare recipients of governmental assistance for work.
Mills said former Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s plan would have left more Mainers uninsured. She said Maine’s low unemployment rate and dispersed population make such mandates “problematic.”
Federal regulators previously approved LePage’s proposal to require certain Medicaid recipients to work or volunteer. The plan would have also imposed premiums while exempting individuals with disabilities.
Mills said her administration will also maximize federal funding for job training efforts.
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