Blog
7/12/2023
The final piece of the FY24-25 biennial budget, passed by the Legislature on July 6, 2023 and signed into law yesterday by Governor Mills, includes more than $4 million in investments to reduce abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults and adults with disabilities in Maine.
7/7/2023
Yesterday, the Legislature passed the final piece of the FY24-25 biennial budget that Governor Janet Mills indicated she will sign. It includes a number of initiatives that advance the health and well being of Maine people.
6/27/2023
While the Legislature considers budget proposals for future MaineCare reforms, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of MaineCare Services continues its implementation of payment rates already developed under the landmark law (P.L. 2022, Ch. 639 (PDF)).
6/22/2023
Today, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced it is extending the current Child Care Provider Transition Grants to help child care providers continue to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic and improve access to quality child care in Maine.
6/15/2023
New data indicate that a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) initiative to fund recruitment and retention bonuses for direct support workers (DSWs) helped stabilize and grow Maine’s Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) workforce.
6/1/2023
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) has made six additional awards in its second round of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Innovation Pilot Grants to support projects that promote greater independence and community participation among individuals with disabilities.
5/31/2023
In 2021, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) announced a series of new initiatives to advance health equity in communities at higher risk of COVID-19 and address systemic health in
5/22/2023
May is designated nationally as Mental Health Awareness Month. This year, it also marked the end of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, which affected not only physical health, but also mental and emotional wellbeing.
5/16/2023
The U.S.-declared COVID-19 public health emergency is over, but some of its effects persist, including a heightened need for children’s behavioral health services.
5/10/2023
Among other provisions, the Governor’s budget change package proposes to eliminate a disputed tax that funds Medicaid (i.e., MaineCare) services, to limit the State’s liability going forward and clear the path for payment rate reform.
4/7/2023
At the direction of Governor Janet Mills, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has developed and executed a variety of programs to address the shortage of qualified health care workers in Maine.
3/30/2023
Since the start of the Mills Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has prioritized both expanding eligibility for MaineCare and improving how the program pays for services for its members.
3/8/2023
This month, an extra amount of Federal food support that was provided during the COVID-19 pandemic will end in Maine and other states. The extra amounts, known as Emergency Maximum Allotments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), were funded by Congress and the President in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
2/28/2023
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) has awarded $4.3 million to 13 organizations in its first round of Home and Community Based Services HCBS Innovation Pilot Grants designed to support projects that promote greater independence and community participation among individuals with disabilities.
2/21/2023
Maine is making progress in restoring access to a range of long-term support services in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Second Annual Report on Efforts and Progress in Implementing the Recommendations of the Commission to Study Long-term Care Workforce Iss
2/17/2023
Today, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a Comprehensive Behavioral Health Plan for Maine (PDF) to improve the continuum of behavioral health services available to Maine people from childhood throughout the lifespan.
2/7/2023
The Governor’s biennial budget proposes investing approximately $240 million to strengthen Maine’s education and early care system and provide critical supports to children, youth and their families.
1/27/2023
Child care access and integration with early childhood education increased significantly in Maine between 2019 and 2022, according to a new analysis and report by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC).
1/24/2023
As the largest Department in State government that serves one in three Maine residents, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is committed to removing barriers to services for various populations, improving equitable outcomes, and making working in and with DHHS a positive experience for people of all cultures, races, ethni
1/20/2023
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) announced today that during the Open Enrollment Period for 2023 coverage, which ran from November 1, 2022, through January 15, 2023, 63,388 Maine people selected affordable health insurance plans at CoverME.gov, Maine’s Health Insurance Marketp