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appliances, medical supplies and equipment and hospice care. | | Health care services under the Maine Health Care Plan are provided | | by participating providers in organized delivery systems and | | through the open plan, which is available to all providers. The | | plan is supplemental to other health care programs that may be | | available to plan members, such as Medicare, Medicaid, the federal | | Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services, the | | federal Indian Health Care Improvement Act and workers' | | compensation. |
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| | | It establishes the Maine Health Care Agency to administer and | | oversee the Maine Health Care Plan, to act under the direction of | | the Maine Health Care Council and to administer and oversee the | | Maine Health Care Trust Fund. The Maine Health Care Council is | | the decision-making and directing council for the agency and is | | composed of 3 full-time appointees. |
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| | | It directs the Maine Health Care Agency to establish programs | | to ensure quality, affordability, efficiency of care and health | | planning. The agency health planning program includes the | | establishment of global budgets for health care expenditures for | | the State and for institutions and hospitals. The health | | planning program also encompasses the certificate of need | | responsibilities of the agency pursuant to the Maine Revised | | Statutes, Title 22, chapter 103-A and the health planning | | responsibilities pursuant to Title 2, chapter 5. |
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| | | It contains a directive to the State Controller to advance | | $400,000 to the Maine Health Care Trust Fund on the effective | | date, January 1, 2006. This amount must be repaid by the Maine | | Health Care Agency by June 30, 2007. |
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| | | 2. Part B of the bill establishes the Maine Health Care Plan | | Transition Advisory Committee. Composed of 20 members, appointed | | and subject to confirmation, the committee is charged with | | holding public hearings, soliciting public comments and advising | | the Maine Health Care Agency on the transition from the current | | health care system to the Maine Health Care Plan. Members of the | | committee serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for | | their expenses. The committee is directed to report to the | | Governor and to the Legislature on July 1, 2006, January 1, 2007, | | July 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007. The committee completes its | | work on December 31, 2007. |
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| | | 3. Part C of the bill establishes the salaries of the members | | of the Maine Health Care Council and the executive director of | | the Maine Health Care Agency. |
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| | | 4. Part D of the bill prohibits the sale on the commercial | | market of health insurance policies and contracts that duplicate |
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