James Myall, an analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, also cautioned against having a private administrator of a state paid leave program, pointing to the issues seen in Connecticut. Myall said while the sponsors of LD 1964 have created safeguards designed to stop some of the worst aspects of privatization from occurring, there is still the potential for problems under such a set-up.
“The thing about having any third-party administrator insurance company is that it reduces the accountability that ultimately voters and taxpayers have over the program because they’re one step removed,” Myall said.