Impact of the Maine Medicaid waiver for the mentally retarded.

To evaluate the impact of Maine's Medicaid waiver for the mentally retarded, baseline and 1-year followup data were obtained for 191 waiver clients and a comparison population of 115 persons excluded from the program because of enrollment limits. Program effectiveness was evaluated through measures of changes in clients' personal and community living skills. Medicaid and other data were used to establish individual and aggregate costs. It was found that the waiver program is a cost-effective alternative to intermediate care placements but that client screening is necessary to limit the enrollment of clients not at risk of institutional placement.