Another SOP from Dirigo

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by Tarren Bragdon
Dirigo Health – Recently the Dirigo Health Agency’s Board of Directors voted that Dirigo Health had saved Maine’s healthcare system $41.7 million dollars for 2006.
If approved by the Superintendent of Insurance, this $41.7 million will become the amount of the Savings Offset Payment (Dirigo Tax) beginning January 1, 2007. This 2007 SOP would produce a very similar 2.4% tax on all health claims that the Dirigo began imposing in 2006. This SOP would cost the average Maine adult with health insurance $70 a year or $200 a year for a Maine family.


Why is this $41.7 million number so odd?
According to the Board’s own vote, Dirigo Health is not saving money – it is actually costing more each year. The Superintendent of Insurance ruled last fall that Dirigo Health had “reasonably supported