Feds Allow Limited Reductions in Maine's Medicaid

Not as much as the state needs, but it helps

The federal government will allow Maine to make limited cuts to its Medicaid program, but not to the extent Gov. Paul LePage 's administration sought last year as it looked to close a $20 million budget hole.

The state will book only a fifth of the originally projected savings as a result.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services notified state officials on Monday that they can cut about 12,600 low-income parents and caretakers from Maine's Medicaid rolls and cut or reduce coverage for about 8,300 elderly residents who also qualify for Medicare and rely on Medicaid support to purchase prescription drugs.