Maine
Bill seeks to increase oversight of MaineCare transportation network
State lawmakers are considering a bill that would increase oversight of the private vendors who transport MaineCare clients to medical appointments following years of complaints from users.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services currently pays more than $70 million a year in state and federal funds to help MaineCare patients who lack access to transportation get to the doctor, to the pharmacy or to other non-emergency appointments.
But MaineCare patients have complained for years about the difficulty of arranging rides. And they say the private contractors sometimes show up late or not at all, causing them to miss appointments or leaving them stranded far from home.
“It is our duty not only as stewards of taxpayers dollars but as servants of the public to ensure the system is working as it should,” Republican Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford told members of a legislative committee on Friday. “LD 1835 is about keeping that promise. It’s about oversight, accountability and transparency.”
Bennett’s bill, LD 1835, would require DHHS to create a publicly accessible dashboard that tracks the performance of transportation brokers. His bill would also establish an independent ombudsman to receive and investigate complaints about the network and to create advisory groups in each of the state’s eight transportation regions.
Advocacy groups as well as clients of MaineCare — the state’s Medicaid program — told lawmakers about transportation requests being denied for no apparent reason and about language barriers experienced by people with disabilities when trying to use the automated phone system. Multiple people spoke about drivers showing up late, leaving before they could get outside because of their disability and about being stranded at doctor’s offices afterward because no one came.
Zoe Miller, executive director of the advocacy group Moving Maine Network, said her organization has heard “an overwhelming number of stories” from people who have experienced issues with the MaineCare non-emergency transportation program. Miller also said an evaluation of the program conducted for DHHS about five years ago recommended multiple changes.
“We’ve been really honestly waiting to see if the department would implement these recommendations and make progress and have been just frankly forced to take this avenue to make something happen after many, many efforts,” Miller said.
DHHS opposed the bill, however.
In written testimony submitted to the committee, the department said it already collects and reports many of the performance metrics proposed by Bennett. For instance, the department provided statistics from March 2025 showing that 95% of calls were answered within 60 seconds and 91.6% of trips were performed on-time.
“If the intention of LD 1835 is to reduce the number of missed and late trips and improve member experience by providing more transportation options to members, this bill does not increase general public or private transportation system capacity or workforce; these important factors are outside of the department’s control,” Michelle Probert, director of the Office of MaineCare Services, wrote to the committee.
Probert also said more staff would be needed to gather additional data and to work with a new ombudsman.
Last year, DHHS sparked controversy by awarding a 10-year, $750 million contract to a private vendor, Colorado-based Modivcare, to provide MaineCare transportation services statewide. Modivcare already serves parts of the state but some MaineCare clients and advocacy groups have criticized its service.
The transportation division of the community action program Penquis, which primarily serves Penobscot, Piscataquis and Knox counties, contested the contract and eventually filed a lawsuit. Waldo Community Action Partners is an interested party in the lawsuit.
Asked about the controversy during Friday’s committee meeting, Miller with Moving Maine Network said LD 1835 was not a response to that contract controversy.
“This bill is representing years of work and listening to our members and really feeling that if we did not come forward to do something on their behalf, we would be irresponsible as an organization,” Miller said. “We simply need to do better for the people who are being left behind.”
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This story will be updated.
The Maine Department of Transportation is moving to slash up to $400 million in projects from its agenda, a shocking and abrupt cutback that is rattling the state’s construction industry at the start of building season.
Roughly $50 million across six pavement projects have already been delayed, according to a memo exclusively obtained by the Bangor Daily News. The agency plans to cut or delay another $150 million in bridge, highway, intersection and multimodal projects later this month. A further $200 million or more in cuts are planned in the next three-year work plan.
Those figures were outlined by Transportation Commissioner Dale Doughty in the May 18 memo to Gov. Janet Mills that has since circulated widely in the transportation sector, which has been getting drip-by-drip details on the wide scope of the cuts over the past three weeks.
It comes at the beginning of the state’s relatively narrow construction season. Companies have hired workers and ordered materials for projects they expected to begin this summer. The severity of the transportation budget problems was not raised to lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session.
Kelly Flagg, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, called the shortfall “deeply troubling” in a statement.
“We stand ready to work with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry partners to identify both immediate and long-term solutions,” Flagg said. “Maine cannot afford to fall further behind.”
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The cuts stem from a structural funding gap of at least $130 million in the state’s current work plan, according to Doughty’s memo. Losses are magnified because state money from the gas tax and other revenue sources is matched by federal funds. Lawmakers have long grappled with politically difficult long-term problems with the state’s transportation budget.
A Mills spokesperson said Wednesday morning that the administration was working on a response to questions from the BDN. The department says it needs roughly $240 million more in state capital funding annually to maintain the existing system, and that anything less than $200 million will erode it over time.
Doughty’s memo the only near-term solution is a series of bonds beginning as soon as possible. Lawmakers would have to return to Augusta to authorize that if one is going to appear on the November ballot.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Michael Capeci is the former chairman of the Bangor GOP.
Let’s be honest about Maine’s current state.
For many families, the cost of living has become unsustainable. Housing is out of reach for many young people. Energy bills keep rising. Many small businesses are struggling under taxes and regulations that make it harder to grow. Rural hospitals are under strain and despite years of increased state spending, the results are not showing up in people’s daily lives.
Concurrently, Maine continues to lose young workers to other states. That is not a statistic, it is a warning sign.
To me, the question in this Republican primary for governor is not about slogans. It is whether we continue with a political approach that has failed to reverse these trends, or whether we nominate someone with new ideas. I think that someone is Owen McCarthy.
Owen is not a political insider. He is an entrepreneur from Patten, a small town where opportunity is not assumed, it is built. He grew up in a working-class family, became the first in his family to graduate from college graduating from the University of Maine, and founded MedRhythms, a healthcare technology company focused on neurological treatment.
He didn’t just talk about opportunity. He built it. That distinction matters, because Maine’s problem is not a lack of debate it is a lack of results. We have seen the trajectory: higher costs, slower growth, and a steady outmigration of young workers. I believe Owen McCarthy represents a break from that pattern.
His Maine 2040 plan focuses on creating 50,000 new jobs in sectors where Maine has real advantages — maritime and defense, advanced forest products, and life sciences. These are export-driven industries tied directly to Maine’s workforce, geography, and institutions. What sets Owen apart is not only what he proposes, but how he approaches governing.
He prioritizes modernizing permitting so projects do not stall. He supports using technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency. He focuses on making it easier to build, hire, and expand in Maine.
That same practical mindset extends to healthcare. Expanding telehealth, strengthening EMS systems, improving provider flexibility, and shifting toward earlier intervention are not abstract reforms. They are system upgrades designed to improve access while controlling costs.
Maine voters consistently respond to competence. They reward candidates who understand problems and present plans to solve them. I believe they are tired of rhetoric that does not translate into results, and skeptical of politics that prioritizes messaging over execution.
Owen’s approach is grounded in solving the issues that shape daily life — affordability, healthcare access, job creation, and government efficiency. That is not just policy positioning. It is a governing model that speaks directly to voters.
Some will point to his lack of political experience. But I believe Maine’s core problems are not the result of insufficient political experience; they are the result of policies that have failed to deliver measurable improvement. Experience inside a broken system, by itself, is not a solution.
If Republicans want to win, this primary must be taken seriously. From my perspective, it is not about choosing a nominee for governor who can energize the base. It is about selecting someone who can compete in a broader electorate that is frustrated and looking for change.
That requires a candidate who can speak beyond the base, not by abandoning principles, but by demonstrating competence and a credible plan to address Maine’s challenges. I believe Owen McCarthy offers that combination. He represents a shift away from managed decline and toward economic execution.
This is not just another primary. It is a decision about whether Republicans position themselves to win Maine or whether they remain trapped in a cycle of repeating the same strategies and expecting different outcomes.
If Republicans want to compete for Maine’s future, they cannot afford to nominate a candidate who only motivates part of the electorate. They need someone who expands it.
I believe Owen McCarthy is that candidate.
And if the goal is to win Maine, then the choice should be unmistakable
The only notable change in the top-seven of the Varsity Maine baseball poll is that Gorham now has eight first-place votes, two more than last week. The order of the seven teams is identical. In fact, the only change in the top-seven over the past three polls is the swap at the top after Gorham’s win over South Portland on May 19.
Furthermore, Gorham, South Portland, Oxford Hills, Cheverus, Bangor, Mt. Ararat and Fryeburg have been ranked in the top seven for four straight weeks, and six of those squads have been among the top seven in every poll this spring.
Meanwhile, Scarborough is ranked for the first time since May 5, and Ellsworth and Thornton swapped spots.
The Varsity Maine baseball poll is based on games played before June 2, 2026. The top 10 teams are voted on by the Varsity Maine staff, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.
1. Gorham (8) 89
2. South Portland 79
3. Oxford Hills (1) 75
4. Cheverus 55
5. Bangor 42
6. Mt. Ararat 41
7. Fryeburg Academy 30
8. Ellsworth 27
9. Thornton Academy 25
10. Scarborough 12
Also receiving votes: Washington Academy 8, Monmouth Academy 4, Cony 4, Leavitt 2, Falmouth 2.
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