Lead Maine holds a press conference on June 23 announcing it had collected more than 3,500 signatures on petitions calling for stronger oversight of MaineCare providers. Credit: Gavin Ramsey, Lead Maine

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

As a senior citizen living in Maine who is facing the ever-increasing cost of living, our government in Augusta should not be frivolous with our hard-earned tax dollars. As taxpayers, we expect a transparent account of how our hard-earned money is spent, along with stringent oversight. I believe this is especially true of the money spent on MaineCare.

The proposed accountability rule pushed by Lead Maine that would require in-person inspections of providers enrolled in MaineCare, as well as suspending payments when there is an audit or fraud investigation of the provider. This would aid in protecting taxpayer funds and potentially make existing funding go further in helping more Mainers.

With the recent revelations of alleged fraud in state and federal programs, I believe it is urgent that our legislators be vigilant at overseeing MaineCare and all programs that help Mainers, preventing fraud or practices that take money away from the intended recipient. It is important that our agencies are transparent to We the People.

Frank Masia
Skowhegan

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