“Maine has recently joined the growing list of failed state reforms. As with other faillures, the Dirigo Care program was shoved down the throats of a bewildered legislature by an egotistical governor who promised Nirvana. You would think people would learn from experience, but a recent report sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Academy Health and conducted by the Mathematica research company shows what a dismal failure it has been. Of course, they don’t put it that way since these organizations are partly responsible for creating the program in the first place. No, they say things like, ‘DirigoChoice has faced a number of implementation challenges,’ and the ‘eventual impact on the state’s rate of uninsured cannot yet be determined,’ and ‘its early experiences are not indicative of future success.’ But look behind the spin and the report is a devastating examination of a program that was poorly conceived and doomed to fail from the beginning.” (01/30/08)