On December 2, 2024, the Mills administration announced that the Department of Health and Human Services will not implement cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the MaineCare program required by 22 M.R.S.A §3173-J and §7402. This action violates state law and the recent DOJ settlement, exacerbates a worsening care crisis, diminishes our state’s economy, and abdicates the state’s responsibility to protect the health of Maine people.
In response, members of the Essential Care & Support Workforce co-signed a letter urging the Maine Legislature to to immediately take action to direct the state to implement the annual cost-of-living adjustment for MaineCare services. Forty-seven (47) employers representing approximately 9,500 Essential Care & Support Workers and serving over 39,500 Maine people and thirteen (13) statewide organizations signed on to the letter.
One member of the partnership said, “There is tremendous unmet need across our state. Workforce is our number one challenge in providing critical services. The MaineCare COLAs are a vital tool in providing these services.“
Another member added, “With the current staffing shortages statewide in the [Intellectual and Developmental Disability] space, it has been very disheartening to hear that we will not even be able to provide a small COLA increase to our staff. At some point in the near future, it will end in group home closures. There are very really implications to the vulnerable population we support.“
We are looking forward to working with the Legislature and the Department of Health & Human Services to correct this mid-year, mid-budget decision to not reimburse employers for the wage increases the workforce was promised.