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Maine’s health care policy must be informed by people on the front lines | Opinion

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Maine’s health care policy must be informed by people on the front lines | Opinion


Roger Poitras is CEO of InterMed.

Most of us learn early in life: don’t make medical decisions without consulting a health care professional. When it comes to shaping health care policy, we don’t always follow the same advice, but we should. And in Maine, we’re beginning to.

Our health care system is under real strain. Across the state, hospitals and medical practices are operating with thin margins, struggling to recruit and retain staff and making difficult decisions about which services they can sustainably offer.

Workforce shortages and rising costs are colliding with an aging population and growing demand for care. These pressures create uncertainty both for organizations trying to plan ahead, and for patients who worry about access, continuity and how far they’ll have to travel to receive care.

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Against that backdrop, Maine convened a commission to examine how the state reviews major changes in health care. I had the honor of serving on that commission, and the experience was enlightening.

The process was thoughtful and grounded in a genuine commitment to ensuring patients and communities have access to care. Nonetheless, the experience also reinforced an important lesson: effective reform requires more than convening a group and hearing testimony; it requires expertise and the willingness to listen to those who live these realities every day. It also demands a sustained, two-way dialogue and a willingness to wrestle openly with perspectives that challenge initial assumptions.

There were times throughout the course of the commission that the discussion felt oriented toward validating specific solutions rather than fully examining the underlying problems they were meant to address. Given the commission’s scope and timeline, that structure is understandable. But it also points to a broader risk in health care policymaking: when discussions begin with conclusions rather than questions, the range of viable solutions can narrow before the work truly begins.

Health care does not operate in silos. Clinical decisions affect staffing. Staffing affects access. Access affects finances. Regulation touches all of it. When policy is developed without engaging in that full context, it can be well-intentioned but incomplete, or responsive in theory but difficult to implement in practice.

Meaningful reform depends on processes that invite not just agreement, but challenge, nuance and the lived realities of delivering care. This commission showed that Maine is willing to invite frontline voices into the conversation. That matters. But if we want policies that truly strengthen our health care system, the state must continue to invite health care professionals into the conversation earlier and more consistently.

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At the same time, those of us who work in health care have a responsibility to join the conversation. This commission was my first experience serving in this type of role, and to be candid, it was not always comfortable. At times, the process felt constrained.

The outcomes are not guaranteed. But participation matters. If we choose not to engage because the process is imperfect, we leave critical decisions to those farther removed from day-to-day care.

The future of health care in Maine will be shaped by who shows up, who stays engaged and who is willing to offer practical, experience-based insight, even when it complicates the conversation.

It’s time to deepen the dialogue, broaden participation and create an ongoing partnership between policymakers and the people who deliver care. That is how we move from conversation to action, and how we ensure Maine’s health care system remains accessible, sustainable and centered on the patients and communities it serves.

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Maine

Police warn of scam targeting sex offenders in Maine

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Police warn of scam targeting sex offenders in Maine


A letter is being sent that asks registered sex offenders to email personal information

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Maine State Police

scam letter targeting sex offenders in maine

SOURCE: Maine State Police

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State Police warn of scam targeting sex offenders in Maine

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A letter is being sent that asks registered sex offenders to email personal information

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Updated: 11:10 AM EDT Apr 8, 2026

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Maine State Police is warning of a scam that is targeting sex offenders in the state.The issue was brought to those who run the Sex Offender Registry that the scam is targeting registered people on probation in Maine. A letter is being mailed to people, claiming to be from the ‘Maine Probation Tonduary.’ The letter claims there has been a data migration error in the Records Management System and the registrant needs to email personal identifying information (PII) to an email address listed on the letter. Police say neither the Maine Sex Offender Registry nor the Maine Department of Corrections would ever send such a letter asking a person to send sensitive information in this format. If you have received such a letter, you should not email your information to the address on the letter. Instead, report it to the Maine Sex Offender Registry at 207-624-7270 or local law enforcement.

Maine State Police is warning of a scam that is targeting sex offenders in the state.

The issue was brought to those who run the Sex Offender Registry that the scam is targeting registered people on probation in Maine.

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A letter is being mailed to people, claiming to be from the ‘Maine Probation Tonduary.’ The letter claims there has been a data migration error in the Records Management System and the registrant needs to email personal identifying information (PII) to an email address listed on the letter.

scam letter targeting sex offenders in maine

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Police say neither the Maine Sex Offender Registry nor the Maine Department of Corrections would ever send such a letter asking a person to send sensitive information in this format. If you have received such a letter, you should not email your information to the address on the letter. Instead, report it to the Maine Sex Offender Registry at 207-624-7270 or local law enforcement.

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Maine

2026 Primary Election

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2026 Primary Election


Voting is the cornerstone of democracy, and in 2026 Mainers will have a lot of important decisions to make when casting their ballots — from the very top of the ticket to the bottom. On June 9, Mainers will participate in the state’s semi-open party primaries, choosing Democratic and Republican nominees for governor, as well […]



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Maine

Regular gas tops $4, premium over $5 in Maine amid severe Trump Iran threats

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Regular gas tops , premium over  in Maine amid severe Trump Iran threats


Brady Chapman fills up one of four trucks he uses for his business Wednesday at Irving Gas Station in Bethel. Regular gas was $4.09 at the station. (Rose Lincoln/Staff Writer)

Maine’s average price for regular gasoline rose to its highest point since August 2022, as the conflict in Iran continues to drive up global oil costs.

A gallon of regular gas averaged $4.03 here Tuesday, ticking up more than 6 cents overnight, according to data aggregated by motor club AAA. That price has risen 38.5% — about $1.12 — since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel struck Iran, triggering a conflict that has since spilled into the broader Middle East.

Maine’s average price crossed the $4 threshold a week after the national average did so. The national average was up to $4.14 Tuesday, AAA data shows.

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Premium gas was up to $5.07 per gallon in Maine, topping $5 for the first time in nearly four years. Diesel, meanwhile, averaged about $5.90 per gallon Tuesday.

Collectively, those figures mark the state’s highest average gas prices since the summer of 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine drove gas prices to record highs. A gallon of regular gas peaked at $5.09 that June, the highest ever recorded by AAA.

This week, Maine’s prices were the 21st highest among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to AAA. California, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada and Oregon all saw average prices above $5 per gallon Tuesday.

This is a developing story.

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