Joe Bruno, former Republican legislator and frequent critic of the state-supported Dirigo Health plan, has been nominated to serve on the Dirigo Health Agency board of directors.
Gov. John Baldacci last week announced the nominations of Bruno and three others, including another former Republican legislator, Judy Foss of Yarmouth. Also nominated were Sara Gagne Holmes, executive director of Maine Equal Justice Partners, and Marianne Ringel of Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership.
The nominations must be reviewed by the Joint Standing Committee on Insurance and Financial Services and confirmed by the Senate. A confirmation session of the Senate has been scheduled for Aug. 20.
Bruno, who was nominated by Maine House Minority Leader Joshua Tardy, R-Newport, said his displeasure with how the state-run health insurance program has been run since its inception in 2003 will aid him as he evaluates how to move forward. He said he looks forward to being part of the effort to improve Dirigo Health, and is not there “just to throw bricks at it,” he said.
“If you are just going to take your toys and go home and just throw bullets at it from the outside, you’re not doing any good,” said Bruno, a Raymond Selectman, and the founder, president and chief executive officer of Community Pharmacies. “I think I have a lot of experience in health care. I’m looking forward to it.”
As established in 2003, Dirigo Health sought to insure 31,000 individuals during its first year of operations and to provide access to coverage for at least another estimated 110,000 individuals by 2009.
The program has fallen short of those goals, with around 14,000 Mainers currently taking part in Dirigo Health. Critics also dispute a claim by the Dirigo Health Agency that the program saved nearly $150 million in health care costs over the last year.
Bruno said earlier this week that the state needed to address rising health care costs and lack of insurance coverage, but that the Dirigo program had lost its way.
“You know, I voted for it in 2003,” said Bruno. “I thought it was something that needed to be tried. Obviously it has not lived up to its billing.”
Bruno said he wanted a good, hard look at the costs and savings related to Dirigo before he decided what needs to be done to salvage the program.
“Until I get my hands around what the exact numbers are and where the money is going, it’s hard for me to comment on it,” he said. “I’m there to study and to make recommendations based on facts.”
Raymond Selectman Joe Bruno, who voted for the Dirigo health plan as a legislator but has become a critic of the program, has been nominated to the board of the Dirigo Health Agency, which oversees implementation of the plan.Send questions/comments to the editors.
