Senate Republican Leaders Question Governor’s Management of PIN Rx
Lack of Oversight and Transparency by Governor Baldacci Troubling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 5, 2007

AUGUSTA – On Monday, February 5, Senate Republican leader Carol Weston, of Montville, and Assistant Senate Republican leader Richard Rosen, of Bucksport, held a press conference to address recent developments revealed in a television news story that PIN Rx is under investigation for allegedly filling nearly 200,000 prescriptions illegally.

Established in 2004 through a partnership with Maine’s government, PIN Rx is a mail order pharmacy Governor Baldacci pushed for by investing nearly $1 million in taxpayer money.  Acting on an anonymous tip, the Maine Pharmacy Board has, with the assistance of the Attorney General’s office been investigating PIN Rx to determine if 183,000 prescriptions taken over the internet were filled illegally.

Of chief concern to the Senators was the significant lack of oversight the Governor had in place to ensure an effective and appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.  “What system of oversight did Governor Baldacci have in place to ensure that PIN Rx was operating legally and effectively?” asked Senator Weston.  “Why weren’t state departments carefully monitoring the transactions processed by PIN Rx. And why, without this apparent oversight, did he encourage Medicaid recipients to use this mail order pharmacy instead of our local pharmacies?”

Shortly after PIN Rx was launched, Governor Baldacci reportedly sent letters to all Medicaid recipients to encourage them to use the services offered by PIN Rx, rather than using the pharmacy services offered by local pharmacies. 

Sen. Weston also questioned the extent of the Governor’s knowledge surrounding the issues with PIN Rx, and when he was planning on informing the public that his program was under investigation. “What details did the Governor know about the investigation, and when was he planning on informing the public that an investigation of his taxpayer funded program was even taking place?  Why did the people of Maine learn about this issue from the TV news and not from the Governor himself?”

In an effort to seek answers directly, Senator Weston submitted a request, under Maine’s Freedom of Access statute, to Governor Baldacci asking for all documents and correspondences relating to PIN Rx.  “Mainers deserve honest and detailed answers to these questions, and we will do everything in our power to make sure they are provided with them,” she said.

CONTACT:

William Thompson                    287-1505 (o)
Communications Director, Senate Republican Office

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