|
Our reporting fellow Alexa Foust spoke to more than a dozen child care providers across the state who accept children in foster care about the delays they've faced in getting reimbursed by the state.
Some providers said that it has taken months, even years, to receive payment. Others have stopped billing entirely or been forced to close down due a lack of funds.
In mid-February, Alexa emailed the Department of Health and Human Services to ask about late payments to a particular daycare in Blue Hill, whose owner claims the state owes her about $30,000. The next day, DHHS emailed the provider: “Can you please tell me if we do owe money to you for the services you have provided, or is the Department caught up for payments for you?”
Lawmakers are investigating the delays. At a Government Oversight Committee meeting late last month, Sen. Jeff Timberlake said DHHS didn’t know how many invoices it processed each week: “This lack of organization is troubling and must be addressed.”
You can read more in Alexa's story below. We also have a deep dive into Maine's federal education funding from our new education and workforce development reporter Kristian Moravec, a piece on coastal resilience projects, and more.
Also: if you work in health care and have thoughts on AI, please fill out this survey. It's for an upcoming story by Rose Lundy.
One last note: It's because of support from readers like you that we're able to investigate Maine's child welfare system and dig into the risks federal funding cuts could pose to our state — and to keep all our stories free to read, with no paywall. We're in the middle of our March fundraising drive, and need to raise $30,000 by March 14: if you're able to donate at a level that works for you, or to spread the word by forwarding this newsletter to a friend, we'd be very grateful. |
