This Past Week at the Maine State House

On Tuesday, members of Local 771 testified at the public hearing before the Joint Committees of Appropriations and Health and Human Services in opposition to the 10% cuts proposed for the programs members work in.

Carol Cammack, a Home Care for Maine worker, told the committees that she works without taking vacations and time off because when workers take that time, they do not get paid. She told the committees that the schedulers, supervisors and ceo's of Maine's home care agencies get paid holidays, paid vacations and have access to health care benefits.

Helen Hanson, Local 771's president, offered suggestions as to how the Home and Community Based Care programs could find savings. She suggested consolidating all the home care agencies that rely on state funding down to five or six regional agencies, thereby saving on overhead and administration. She suggested looking into the way Goold Health Systems and Elder Indpendence of Maine do business to see if there's any cost savings there.

Senator Brannigan, co-chair of the Health and Human Services Committee asked Helen if any analysis had been done in the Lean around the idea of consolidating agencies. She responded honestly with a no.

Members of the Lean Core Team were also in attendance with many testifying against the proposed cuts.

On Wednesday, another hearing was held pertaining to the cuts to the state funded Home Based Care program.

That same morning, LD 1059 had a work session in the Insurance and Financial Services Committee. LD 1059 was the bill to set up a pilot project, using what the state of Montana did to insure its direct care workers.

Members of the Lean's Direct Care Worker Taskforce were present. Elise Scala was prepared to present to the Committee her findings on the Montana model. She did not get the chance to.

Diana Scully, the director of the Office of Elder Services, DHHS, spoke to the committee, telling them that with the current financial crisis the state budget is facing, it simply is not feasible to set up a pilot using $500,000, as the bill directed.

What Ms. Scully did say was that the Governor's Office on Health Policy has been awarded a $8.5 million grant to provide health insurance through Dirigo to direct care workers, part-time workers, and seasonal workers.

The committee members had many questions about this grant for Ms. Scully. She could not answer them. The committee also acknowledged that this is a grant, meaning that once the money is spent, it is gone.

Ms. Scully and the committee both agreed that a later meeting with Trish Riley from the Governor's Office on Health Policy and possibly someone from Dirigo is the next step. The committee will ask for specifics from Ms. Riley as to how the grant will be implemented, what groups are targeted to be covered, how the insurance will come about, etc.

The first part of this grant is being rolled out through employers. Agencies employing direct care workers need to sign on. The grant monies are to help cover the employer's share of the insurance. This is happening January 2010.

The second part of the grant is being rolled out in July with workers self-insuring. There are income guidelines that will allow for subsidies for workers to help them cover the cost of their premiums.

If you are a direct care worker, working for an agency, be it Home Care for Maine, Care and Comfort, Home Hope and Healing, any of them in Maine, and are interested in obtaining health insurance through your work, through this grant, contact your employer and ask them about it.

The committee unanimously voted LD 1059 ought not to pass, because of the state budget crisis.

The meeting that the Insurance and Financial Services Committee requested with Trish Riley is scheduled for sometime this week. The date and time is not yet known.

Thursday afternoon, LD 1364 had a work session with the Health and Human Services Committee. The bill's sponsor, Representative Matt Peterson, amended the bill. Members of the Direct Care Worker Taskforce, stemming from the Lean process, were in attendance.

The bill originally was to raise wages for Direct Care Workers. Again with the current state budget crisis, wages will not increase for Maine's direct care workers.

What Representative Matt Peterson is proposing is to keep the work of the Direct Care Worker Taskforce going. This group has come up with recommendations to strengthen the workforce through better wages, training, classification, etc. He is also proposing a definition change, removing the definition of a personal care assistant and replacing it with direct support aid.

Diana Scully was at this work session as well. She raised the issue that the language around PCA training would also be removed. The HHS Committee had many questions. One asked if the workforce is aware of these possible changes.

Representative James Campbell asked Helen Hanson if the work of the Worker Group from the summer of 2008, looking into obtaining health insurance for workers, was involved in the current Worker Taskforce. Helen responded that it is and so is much more. Helen told him that the Taskforce is looking into coming up with a classification system for the workforce because there are so many titles, she told him that the group is looking into training and the issues surrounding that, the group is looking into the Montana model.

The committee decided to hold another work session because of the changes in the definition that Representative Peterson is proposing. That session is scheduled for February 4th at 1 pm in the Health and Human Services Committee room.