MaineCare Accountability Project

Real oversight for $1.4 billion in taxpayer funds.

Comment period is OPEN. Submit your comment now →
Annual Spending
$1.4B
in MaineCare every year
State Budget Share
1 in 4
dollars go to MaineCare
Mainers Covered
475,000
nearly 1 in 3 adults
Federal HHS identified
$45.6M+
improperly billed in a single audit

The Problem

MaineCare consumes roughly one-quarter of the entire state budget: $1.4 billion every year. When oversight fails at this scale, Mainers pay twice, as taxpayers funding the program, and as patients when dollars meant for care disappear into improper billing and weak controls.

Federal auditors have documented tens of millions in improper payments. State program integrity capacity is tiny relative to the volume. Providers are paid first and questioned later.

Read the full backgrounder →

Two Targeted Rule Changes

Proposed

Require On-Site Inspections

Any provider billing MaineCare must be verified in person before enrolling in the program and can be inspected without warning during any fraud or billing investigation. No phone calls or emails as a substitute.

Proposed

Crack Down on Payment Fraud

Strengthen the state’s ability to audit and recover improper payments to providers who are billing MaineCare for services that were never delivered. Better tools to pause payments during active investigations.

Read the Full Proposed Rule Changes

Submit Your Comment

Maine taxpayers get the final word. Your comment becomes part of the official record.

535
comments submitted toward our goal
0 0% 1,000
Last updated: September 2, 2026
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Rulemaking Timeline

Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Lead Maine submitted two citizen rulemaking petitions to DHHS with more than 3,500 signatures total.
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
DHHS opens rulemaking on MaineCare accountability following Lead Maine’s petition submissions.
Thursday, September 10, 2026 @ 8:30am
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Public comments due. This is your chance to go on the official record.
By January 18, 2027
DHHS must summarize comments and decide on final rules.
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