Maine government commits massive theft of services from private Hospitals

The State of Maine owes various Maine hospitals 450 million dollars for services supplied to MaineCare recipients between 2003 and 2007. They don't dispute they owe the money, they don't dispute the amount. They just aren't paying.

Isn't that a crime? If I take a service, and then don't pay for it, wouldn't I be breaking the law? Hello? Augusta? Will someone with some backbone and integrity in the legislature, the judiciary, or the executive branch please step up to the plate and tell the rest of the state government they have to pay their bills!

The State of Maine owes various Maine hospitals 450 million dollars!

If the state can contract for the services and then not pay for them, then I propose we call this what it is-- socialized medicine. You can have it one way, or you can have it the other. Either we have state supplied healthcare, or we have privately owned healthcare. If it's socialized medicine, let's stop pretending it's not. But if we're going to have private healthcare, let's stop allowing the state to steal services from the private sector. Let's have one or the other, because trying to blend them only gets the worst characteristics of both.

And please, oh please, make the State pay its bills! It's ridiculous if it doesn't.