Sen. Ron Collins’ letter to the editor Wednesday about the MaineCare rides debacle is correct that it could have been avoided.
But he blames the wrong party. The decision by the Obama administration to create systems with more transparency didn’t create our mess; the LePage administration’s decisions did.
Look to Vermont, which created a system that met federal requirements using the same local providers they had been using all along. They had an active voice when Maine was making its plans, and specifically recommended against what was chosen here.
Our administration ignored that advice and moved forward with out-of-state contractors, one with a known reputation for failure.
Why? Frankly, I can’t even imagine a good answer to that question. Turning down a low-cost local system in favor of an expensive, failure-ridden system that sends dollars out of our state rather than allowing them to circulate in the local economy is utterly irrational.
It’s nice to know that Sen. Ron Collins sponsored a bill allowing local providers to continue providing the rides; he clearly saw the problem at the time. And he was ignored by the LePage administration. Why, suddenly, is he blaming Obama for something caused by our own executive branch? It just doesn’t make sense.
David Shedd
Portland
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