When Maine became the first state in years to enact a law intended to provide universal health care, one of its goals was to cover the estimated 130,000 residents who had no insurance by 2009, starting with 31,000 of them by the end of 2005, the program?s first year.

So far, it has not come close to that goal. Only 18,800 people have signed up for the state?s coverage and many of them already had insurance.

?I think when we first started, in terms of making estimates, we really were kind of groping in the dark,? said Gov. John E. Baldacci, who this month proposed a host of adjustments.