In order to repay the hospitals, the state would have to come up with about $153 million, while the federal government would cover the rest. Steven Michaud, president of the Maine Hospital Association, said the debt has put many state hospitals in tough spots financially.
“[The state] can’t afford the program,” he said in the report. “They’ve got too many people on the program so they just cap it in terms of what they pay us. We’ve got patients from five years ago we’re waiting to be paid for.”
Gov. LePage and legislators have not indicated how they would find the money to repay hospitals, although money from the state’s liquor distribution contract has been considered as one potential option, according to the report.
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