Maine Partners with Former Health and Human Services Leader for Medicaid and Program Integrity Improvements

Federal flexibility, Medicaid expansion study areas of focus for Alexander Group
Maine - The former head of public welfare departments in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island will be working with officials in Maine over the next year to assist in Medicaid program improvements and to bolster existing efforts in program integrity.

The Alexander Group, a team of Medicaid experts that includes data analysts, clinicians, actuaries and health economists, is led by Gary Alexander, the former head of public welfare in Rhode Island and, most recently, Pennsylvania. While in Rhode Island, Alexander worked with the federal government to achieve approval for a global waiver, giving Rhode Island the ability to make state-based decisions about how to run its Medicaid program. The Alexander Group will be working on multiple fronts with the Department of Health and Human Services to address financial challenges and will assist in crafting a program that effectively serves individuals and is sustainable. Enrollment in MaineCare, Maine's Medicaid program has doubled in the last decade while program costs have increased by $1.2 billion over the same period. 

The work will include a study of the optional Medicaid expansion that has been offered to the state as part of ObamaCare. The study will include an assessment of the financial impact of Medicaid expansion in both the short- and long-term, as well as the impact on other state priorities, including those currently served by MaineCare. The study will also consider potential areas of flexibility for the state, which may include requests for additional flexibility from the federal government to manage MaineCare by state rules instead of federal regulations.

DHHS and the Alexander Group will undertake a complete assessment of all welfare systems within DHHS to determine how program reforms and additional flexibility can add efficiency, improve patient outcomes and achieve cost savings. A focus of this work will be reducing waitlists and providing appropriate services for the elderly and disabled.

"We are excited about the opportunity to work with such a knowledgeable group of experts," said Mary Mayhew, the Commissioner of DHHS. "In the constantly shifting landscape of the Affordable Care Act and ever-changing rules from Washington, it will be extremely helpful to have someone with significant Medicaid experience lending a hand to our program reform efforts." 

The group will examine the DHHS's "Welfare to Work" programs and assist the Department in designing programs to ensure those who are able and desire employment can work. A key area of focus will be assisting those who are disabled who desire employment. The Alexander Group will also head up an enterprise-wide program integrity improvement effort to ensure those on welfare programs are truly eligible. Alexander and members of his team led a similar initiative in Pennsylvania, which won the 2012 Innovations Award from the Council of State Governments. 

"Our number-one priority is to effectively and efficiently manage programs that meet the needs of poor and vulnerable residents in our state and is sustainable," said Commissioner Mayhew. "We want to design and run a welfare system that is right for Maine and guards against any misuse of programs. We have a responsibility to Maine citizens and taxpayers to run a program that not only meets the needs today, but is financially stable in the years ahead."