If Not a High Five, At Least a Thumbs Up

baldacci.jpgIt's too soon for Maine Governor John Baldacci to heli-drop onto a yacht in Portland's harbor and declare, "Mission Accomplished." But his far-reaching and ambitious health plan, Dirigo, has met a significant signpost along the way: The state's insurance superintendent has audited the plan and found that its various initiatives have created $43.7 million in health care savings over the past year.

The finding is important since it will be used to calculate a "savings offset payment" for the coming year--an assessment on insurance companies and other health care payers that the agency will use to help subsidize health insurance premiums for low-income Mainers.

Although Baldacci's administration had estimated that Dirigo would need about $50 million in savings to help finance the subsidy, the news the health care team got was close enough to keep Dirigo on the path to success--and this state experiment in universal health coverage going.