Critics say the role of medical benefit managers prioritizes profit over safety – and the stakes are particularly high for users of opioid painkillers.
Joe Lawlor
Staff Writer
Joe Lawlor writes about health and human services for the Press Herald. A 24-year newspaper veteran, Lawlor has worked in Ohio, Michigan and Virginia before relocating to Maine in 2013 to join the Press Herald. He is still considered “from away” but since then, he has learned what a “dooryard” is, eaten “whoopie pies” drank Moxie and boiled some “lobstahs.” The stories he enjoys most are when he learns something and meeting inspiring people.
He lives in South Portland - aka “SoPo” - with his wife, Melanie, and two school-age children.
Posted inCops & Courts, Maine, Maine Crime, News
Mainers part of federal prescription opioid sting against medical professionals
The Justice Department hasn’t identified those who were targeted in the sting, a nationwide effort that involved 601 defendants.
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Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Second phase of Maine Med’s mega-expansion calls for garage with 2,450 spaces
Hospital officials submit plans to the city Planning Board, aiming to start construction in the fall.
Posted inMaine, News, Politics
Lawmakers avert crisis for adults with intellectual disabilities
The Legislature votes unanimously to increase reimbursement rates for direct care workers.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News, Politics
LePage tells Portland chamber that families could avoid separation at border if they ‘go back home’
In his last appearance before the regional chamber as governor, he also calls for changes in the referendum process to make it harder for citizen initiatives to get on the ballot.
Posted inMaine, News, Politics
Advocacy group in Medicaid expansion lawsuit says LePage must act now
Maine Equal Justice Partners argued in a new filing Tuesday that the LePage administration should be ordered to comply without delaying for its appeals.
Posted inMaine, News, Politics
Sen. Collins says she’s seeking a solution as pressure builds to stop splitting families at U.S. border
The Maine senator says she’s pursuing legislation directly addressing the issue of family separation, but a critic says faster action is necessary at a time of crisis.
Posted inMaine, News, Politics
Maine protesters object to Trump administration border policy separating children from immigrant families
About 100 people gathered to voice their opposition outside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office in South Portland.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Maine’s rental market among nation’s least affordable, report says
A housing coalition’s annual report places Maine 9th among states where there’s a big gap between what a typical renter earns and what is needed to comfortably afford a 2-bedroom apartment.
Posted inMaine, News
Maine’s busy summer travel season starts with tragedy as crashes kill 8 people in a week
State officials urge drivers to obey the speed limit, put down mobile devices and drive carefully, after police cite a driver’s improper pass as the cause of a crash that killed him and three others in Berwick.