News in brief - Jan. 31, 2005
Maine's Dirigo enrollment slower than anticipated, watchdog group says
Maine's Dirigo enrollment slower than anticipated, watchdog group says
Maine Gov. John Baldacci announced earlier this month that 2,700 Maine residents would be signed up for the DirigoChoice health plan by Feb. 1, which he called a milestone for the program. "These are real people, real businesses and real coverage," he said. Dirigo Health is a state-subsidized program designed to expand affordable insurance options to small business and eventually individuals.
However, 2,700 represents only a fraction of the number of people who originally were projected to be enrolled in the plan by this time, according to a report from the Maine Heritage Policy Center. The current take-up rate does not bode well for the goal of having 31,000 participants in the program by the end of the year, according to the center's newsletter, DirigoWatch. The group claims Dirigo Health has proved too costly and too complex to be attractive to most small businesses.
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