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January 30, 2007

Higher Taxes? Sounds Fantastic!

"I see your true colors shining through..."

AUGUSTA - It may mean raising taxes on snacks, sodas, beer and wine, but Gov. John Baldacci said Monday he remains committed to expanding his controversial DirigoChoice health insurance program.

Higher taxes, regulatory reform and mandated insurance coverage were among options recommended to the governor Monday by the 20-member Blue Ribbon Commission on Dirigo Health, a special group that has been meeting since last spring.

In the report they presented Monday, commission members expressed unanimous support for the multifaceted Dirigo Health initiatives and said the subsidized DirigoChoice insurance product is a key component in improving access to health care in Maine.

In accepting the report, Baldacci said though the two-year-old DirigoChoice program remains "a work in progress," it now provides coverage to more than 13,000 Mainers and 2,300 small businesses. Baldacci said his goal is to improve the plan and make it more affordable so enrollments will increase.

"I’m not going to argue about who to leave behind," he said. "My interest is in expanding coverage to all Mainers, and I’m eager to develop and debate my plan to do this."

It seems his plan to enroll more Mainers is tax existing non-Dirigo health care policies to the point where they are no longer affordable and Dirigo becomes the only option.

Looks like he's reverting back to his true form after some encouraging words following the election. Maine's ridiculous taxes were listed among factors inhibiting growth in the Brookings Institution report on the state's economic future.

This state is never going to dig itself out of the hole. Not with this governor.

Posted by slublog at January 30, 2007 10:20 AM

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