State discusses changes to renew drug program

Maine officials traveled to Baltimore to meet with federal officials Tuesday to discuss ways to address concerns raised by an appeals court that overturned the Healthy Maine Prescription program.

The Christmas Eve ruling by the Court of Appeals against the Medicaid waiver creating the program meant that 112,000 low- and moderate-income residents lost their prescription drug discounts.

The Maine Department of Human Services has been scrambling to try to make changes that would allow the program to be reinstated.

On Tuesday, officials from the Department of Human Services and from the Attorney General’s Office met with the director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The state believes the appeals court’s decision was based on a narrow point that the state didn’t get formal approval of the Health and Human Services regarding the state’s contribution to the program.

Three different options under consideration at the meeting would address the court’s problems, said Newell Augur, spokesman for the Department of Human Services in Augusta.

The meeting began Tuesday morning and continued through the afternoon. It could continue into Wednesday.