AUGUSTA-Gov. John Baldacci and legislative Democrats gathered in the Hall of Flags at the State House on Tuesday afternoon for a ceremonial signing of 18 pieces of health care legislation. The bills were among those approved by lawmakers during the last legislative session.

“These bills together go a long way to accomplishing our most important job – to protect the health and welfare of the people of Maine,” Baldacci said at the signing.

The new laws cover a lot of territory. They include a measure requiring health insurers to extend coverage to adult children of policyholders until age 25; improvements in screening practices for cancer and HIV; the formation of a new study group to look at Maine’s public health system; and a new law that ensures sterile supplies to needle exchange programs for drug addicts.

Several measures address the marketing of prescription drugs in Maine, including one that prohibits drug advertising on computer software sold in Maine. Another creates a new prescription drug education program for doctors and other prescribers, using information from studies in professional journals rather than the claims of manufacturers.

Postpartum depression, eating disorders, the professional role of dental hygienists and the factors driving the ever-upward spiral of health care costs all will come under review by study groups. Insurers will be required to cover hearing aids; November will be declared Lung Cancer Awareness Month; and clinics offering free health care will be subject to lower taxes.

Baldacci also praised legislation that enables his contentious DirigoChoice health insurance program to be self-insured, rather than contracting with an outside, for-profit insurance company. The hard-won measure is a moot point for the time being, however, because other proposed changes to DirigoChoice failed, including a change in its primary funding source.

“What all these have in common is that they provide further evidence that Maine is the leader in health care reform and in efforts to expand access to quality, affordable health care,” Baldacci said in prepared remarks. “I’m proud of the efforts of the Legislature to take on these issues successfully and I’m very pleased to sign these bills.”

The session is also notable for some worthy measures that failed to be enacted, according to Senate Republican leader Carol Weston, R-Montville. Weston said Republicans proposed several important initiatives, including one that would have reformed Maine’s bursting-at-the-seams Medicaid program based on a successful restructuring in Florida. That state has implemented a number of cost-management strategies, Weston said, as well as building in incentives for people to practice better self-care. With two years of experience, she said, Florida can point to substantial improvements.

“We really do have a problem in Maine,” Weston said. “Our Medicaid program just keeps growing, and we won’t be able to afford it.”

Another Republican initiative would have required the Department of Health and Human Services to determine the impact of a new policy that aims to return minors to the care of family members rather than keeping them in the foster care system. Especially for teens, Weston noted, living safely in a supervised group home may be safer and more therapeutic than being returned to a dysfunctional family.

Weston said previous studies have examined the “permanency” policy from a bureaucratic point of view.

“We wanted an audit to find out where these kids are, not do we think we’re doing the process right,” she said.

Weston said Republicans are frustrated with the DirigoChoice program, despite its “lofty goal” of providing affordable insurance coverage to more Mainers. Based on its lower-than-expected enrollments and higher-than-expected costs after three years, she said, “We have to admit it’s an expensive failure.”

While Democrats continue to tinker with the subsidized program’s funding formulas and administrative structures, she said, Republicans would prefer to adopt market-based reforms that would lift the regulatory burden on health insurers and encourage more companies to compete for Maine’s business.

“Why not make health care more affordable for everyone?” she asked.

The governor’s “Dirigo 2.0” bill, which contained both new funding for DirigoChoice and market reforms for the insurance industry, also included mandated coverage for every Maine resident. Intended to garner support from all quarters, it instead languished in the Insurance and Financial Services Committee until just days before the Legislature adjourned, when it emerged with a divisive three-way report. The bill died before being debated.

To read more about the Legislative Documents signed at Tuesday’s event in the Hall of Flags, go to http://janus.state.me.us/legis and enter the LD number (below) in the box in the upper right-hand corner.