The Maine Bureau of Insurance regulates the insurance industry by: licensing insurance producers and companies; performing examinations and conducting audits; reviewing rates and coverage forms; investigating complaints; educating consumers about their rights and responsibilities under Maine laws; and sponsoring programs that enhance awareness of and compliance with state laws.

The Market Conduct Work Unit is responsible for monitoring compliance with Maine laws.

The Life and Health Actuarial Work Unit reviews rate filings made by licensed insurance companies and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and compiles statistics on mandated health insurance benefits.

The Financial Examination Work Unit examines domestic insurers not less than once every five years to insure soundness of the insurance company's financial position.

The Financial Analysis Work Unit handles the licensing and monitoring of foreign insurance companies, managing general agents (MGAs), third-party administrators (TPAs), risk-retention groups, reinsurance intermediaries, surplus lines entities and reinsurance companies. This unit is also responsible for the ongoing financial review of domestic companies and processing name changes, mergers, acquisitions, amendments to authority and redomestications of the above entities.

The Research and Statistics Work Unit has the overall responsibility of creating, maintaining and monitoring databases used in the bureau. This unit collects, interprets and provides data from regulated entities to other divisions as needed. In addition, this unit researches issues for other divisions and maintains database applications and the bureau website.

The Office of Elder Services - Long-term Care manages programs involving home health and other supportive services for 4,100 elderly and disabled adults in order to avoid or delay nursing home placement. Programs include: home-based care; Alzheimer's respite; Medicaid waiver for the elderly and adults with disabilities; and the Long-term Care Ombudsman Program. The office manages statewide preadmission assessments of all nursing facility applicants through a contract with Goold Health Systems. The Community Options Unit helps consumers and their families with problems.

The Office of Elder Services (OES) promotes programs and services for older adults and their families and for people with disabilities. OES is responsible for adult protective services, home- and community-based care, community services and resource development.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services provides integrated health and human services to the people of Maine to assist individuals in meeting their needs, within available resources, while respecting the rights and preferences of the individual and family.

The Property/Casualty Work Unit performs three separate functions: review of insurer rate, rule and form filings; resolution of consumer complaints; and administration of cancellation/nonrenewal hearings. This unit also reviews workers' compensation forms and complaints.

The Policy/Planning department supports the work of the Office of Elder Services (OES), providers and advocates in planning for and responding to the changing demographics and needs of Maine’s aging population.

The Consumer Health Care Unit: provides information to consumers regarding health care plans; assists enrollees with understanding their rights and responsibilities under health care plans; assists consumers with health care plan complaints; and reviews insurer form filings for all lines of life, disability and annuity products.

The Licensing Division is responsible for processing and maintaining permanent license records on producers and business entities (agencies), including issuing and terminating licenses. Additional responsibilities include overseeing the licensing examination process and supervising the continuing education program.

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that advocates for people age 50 and older. Since 1958, AARP has lobbied for senior issues, including the passage of Medicare in 1965. AARP offers support from staffed offices in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Legal Services for the Elderly (LSE) began serving clients in 1974 and now has offices in five locations: Augusta, Bangor, Lewiston, Presque Isle and Scarborough. LSE provides people ages 60 and older with free legal advice regarding: health care; health insurance; Medicare (including Prescription Drug Plans (Part D)); MaineCare (Medicaid); Social Security and other public benefits; pension and retirement benefits; powers of attorney; consumer matters including credit and bankruptcy problems; physical and financial abuse; guardianship defense; and other issues. LSE also governs the state's Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program.

The Northeast Health Care Quality Foundation (NHCQF) is a nonprofit, educational health care organization, headquartered in Dover, NH. The NHCQF contracts with the United States Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to serve as the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. QIOs are private, mostly not-for-profit organizations, staffed by doctors and other health care professionals, who are trained to review medical care, to help beneficiaries with complaints about the quality of care, and to implement improvements in the quality of care available throughout the spectrum of care. QIOs are required under Sections 1152-1154 of the Social Security Act.

The Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) were established under the Older Americans Act (OAA) Comprehensive Services Amendments in 1973 to respond to the needs of Americans 60 and older in every local community. The amendments added a new Title V, which authorized grants to local community agencies in every state. The AAAs provide a range of options that allow older adults to choose the home- and community-based services and living arrangements that suit them best. Maine has five Area Agencies on Aging, which are the central resource for elder services for Maine residents. These agencies fall under the nonprofit organization Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is a national program that offers counseling and assistance to people with Medicare and their families. Coordinators provide counseling on Medicare benefits, Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Part D), Social Security, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. SHIP, formerly the Information, Counseling and Assistance (ICA) grants program, was created under section 4360 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. This act authorized the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make grants to states for health advisory services programs for people with Medicare.

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program helps Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries avoid, detect and prevent health care fraud. The goal is to protect older people and to preserve the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The federal program was created in 1996 by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and amended in 2006 by Titles II and IV of the Older Americans Act.

The Long-term Care Ombudsman Program advocates for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The office resolves complaints and educates seniors and long-term care providers about their rights and good care practices. The ombudsman also provides information to the public on nursing homes and other long-term care facilities and services, residents' rights, and legislative and policy issues. In 1978, an amendment to the federal Older Americans Act required every state to have an ombudsman program that addresses complaints and advocates for improvements in the long-term care system. The ombudsman program is administered by the Administration on Aging (AoA).

Before moving to Portland to lead Mercy Health System of Maine in 2002, Eileen F. Skinner served as assistant hospital director at the Ochsner Foundation Hospital in Louisiana. She later obtained the position of CEO with Ochsner. She earned a master’s degree in health administration from Tulane University.

Before he became CEO of Maine Medical Center, Richard W. Peterson was senior vice president for Kaleida Health Systems in Buffalo, N.Y. Earlier in his career, he served as CEO of a 101-bed community hospital in Medina, N.Y. He is a board member for The JTG Foundation and a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He received his MBA with a concentration in accounting and finance from Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y.

Committee jurisdictions: Department of Health and Human Services; parts of the Dirigo Health Act, including the State Health Plan, the Maine Quality Forum and Advisory Council on Health Systems Development; Maine Health Data Organization; health and medical data; MaineCare, Medicaid and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Part D); children’s welfare and mental health services; childcare; public health and disease control; tobacco addiction prevention and control; sale of tobacco; prescription drugs; health care facilities and health care workforce; social and rehabilitation services; state health system planning; substance abuse; mental health; developmental and other disabilities; poverty, homelessness and public assistance; home- and community-based long-term care; aging, elderly and disability issues; medical use of marijuana; maternal and infant health; and nursing facilities and residential care.

Committee jurisdictions: banking; financial institutions; credit unions; consumer credit; Uniform Consumer Credit Code; Bureau of Financial Institutions; Bureau of Consumer Protection; mortgage lending; foreclosure prevention; Office of Securities; stocks, mutual funds, bonds and other securities; financial services; Bureau of Insurance; credit, automobile, life, property and casualty insurance; health insurance; health maintenance organizations (HMOs); mandated health benefits; health care reform; Dirigo Health Agency; State Employee Health Commission and state employee group health plan; insurance rating, regulation and practices; insurance producers; licensing; Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company; workers' compensation insurance; self-insurance; viatical and life settlement contracts; and real estate practices.