Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

The controller's office has said no payment has been made, but Alexander has been unwilling to say if payment has been requested.

He referred the question to the governor's press secretary Amy Kempe, who has also left the question unanswered. A lawyer for the governor, Daniel Majcher, said last week that the administration has up to 30 business days under the state's open-records law to reply.

Attempts to reach John Stephen were also unsuccessful. A woman who answered the Lucas group telephone identified him as a partner in the company, but said: "I don't believe he is in the office right now.''

As reports surfaced about the company's behind the scenes role, Kempe acknowledged its participation but said repeatedly that it had "volunteered'' its time, without any expectation of payment, though it was free to bid on any contracts that might be offered in the future.

But the company said the waiver Rhode Island won, with its help, during the closing days of the Bush administration "will, among other things, establish a new expedited 45 day approval process for any changes to benefits or program during the 5 year demonstration period; establish new levels of care for the determination of nursing home eligibility that will serve to place priority on high quality and less expensive community based placements over costly nursing home care...allow for benefits in any optional and mandatory program to be "customized" to fit the needs of the person; allow for priority to be placed on preventative services; establish a healthy choice account that will reward healthy behaviors with appropriate incentives; and allow new purchasing strategies that focus on quality and competition.''

Each of these are concepts for which the Carcieri administration has taken credit.

On its Web page, the company, which bid for a administration contract - later canceled - for the Medicaid waiver, the company said: "Governor's Office and DHS brought in The Lucas Group to improve operations and meet budgeted savings goals targeted by the Legislature.''

It further said the company identified a potential $388 million in savings for DHS;
"assessed the status of FY 09 Medicaid initiatives and quickly determined that, of the $109 million in budgeted Medicaid savings initiatives, only $47 million was on target to be achieved...Identified an additional $60 million in new Medicaid savings initiatives that were inserted into a supplemental budget to ensure that the budgeted savings were on track.

The company Web page says it also "helped DHS refine existing savings initiatives, identified new initiatives that focused on areas, such as, nursing home diversion and transition, shared and independent living arrangements for persons with disabilities, emergency room diversion, competitive purchasing strategies and more cost-effective pharmacy benefit management.''

Alexander's May 20 Senate confirmation vote was postponed after The Journal brought to light a previously undisclosed contract with the Lucas Group.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on his nomination Tuesday.