MaineCare Indictment Should End the Oversight Standoff
Six defendants were charged on October 27 in a federal case tied to a South Portland home care agency, and both parties say they want accountability.
· 1 min read
Federal prosecutors charged six people on October 27 in connection with an alleged fraud scheme at a personal health care agency based in South Portland, WGME reported. The political response arrived within hours, and it was more revealing than the charges themselves.
Republicans used the case to argue that benefit fraud in Maine has gone too long without consequence. Rep. Katrina Smith, R-Palermo, said she was glad the state was being pushed by federal authorities to examine the problem closely. House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, drew the opposite lesson, saying the arrests showed enforcement working, while allowing that lawmakers would watch the case and weigh whether accountability measures need strengthening.
Both cannot be entirely right, but both concede the same point: nobody is defending the status quo. That is the opening. In the race for governor, independent Rick Bennett has proposed an inspector general's office reporting directly to the governor, and Republican Bobby Charles said of MaineCare theft, "This is not a victimless crime."
An indictment is an allegation, not a verdict, and a single case is thin evidence of systemic failure. But a program that pays for home care for older and disabled Mainers should not need federal prosecutors to supply its auditing. The Legislature can build that capacity before the next case lands.
This story was first reported by WGME.
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