Learn About Tableau Hildegard Tenney has lived nearly all her life without health insurance. A meat cutter at a supermarket in Washington County, 51-year-old Tenney could never afford coverage, so she visited the doctor only as a last resort, when she could scrape up enough cash to pay out of pocket for the visit. “There […]
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Posted inBusiness, Nation / World, sj-web
Feds give go-ahead for new health cost controls; will consumers face higher bills?
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has given the go-ahead for insurers and employers to use a new cost-control strategy that puts a hard dollar limit on what health plans pay for some expensive procedures, such as knee and hip replacements. Some experts worry that such a move would surprise patients who pick more expensive hospitals. […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
44,000 Mainers signed up on health care exchange
AUGUSTA — Maine has exceeded the federal government’s expectations with more than 44,000 residents enrolling in health insurance plans on the federal exchange. The figures released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday show that 44,258 Maine residents selected plans on the Affordable Care Act’s exchange between Oct. 1 and April […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Harvard Pilgrim may join ACA marketplace in Maine
PORTLAND — Mainers will likely get another option under the Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace next year. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care told the Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/1i7pi52 ) that it plans to join a co-op, Maine Community Health Options, and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, in the marketplace. An official said Harvard Pilgrim, which […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Lewiston-based health insurer finds success with ACA
AUGUSTA — Consumers signing up for health insurance on the marketplaces created under President Barack Obama’s landmark health care law have consistently turned to big-name insurers over smaller nonprofits and startups. But Maine has gone the other way, with a vast majority of residents putting their trust in the new co-op Maine Community Health Options […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Maine groups busy on last day for insurance sign-ups
LEWISTON — By midmorning Monday, the state’s only health insurance co-op was getting so many calls — How do I get insurance by the deadline? Did the federal marketplace send over my sign-up information yet? How do I make a payment? — that its CEO grabbed a free desk and started answering phones. So did […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Catholic editor takes on modern faith at Bates
LEWISTON — Bates College students were challenged Monday afternoon to think about what it means to reconcile being a Catholic in a modern, secular society. Paul Baumann, editor of Commonweal Magazine, a 90-year-old lay-edited Catholic journal, delivered a lecture titled “Liberal, Conservative or Just Catholic? Religious Identity in a Pluralistic Age.” His daughter, Bates senior […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Survey: Mainers struggle to pay medical bills — even those with insurance
Many Maine residents, even those with health insurance, struggle to afford their medical bills, a new statewide survey has found. While the poorest Mainers reported the most difficulty affording health services, more than a quarter of residents with health coverage ran into trouble paying medical bills, according to the survey released Wednesday by the Maine […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
House passes bill requiring more disclosure for ‘narrow’ networks
AUGUSTA — The Maine House has endorsed a bill that aims to provide clarity to “narrow” health insurance provider networks that exclude some hospitals and doctors. The Democratic-led House gave initial approval to Democratic Rep. Paul McGowan’s bill with a 92-48 vote on Monday The measure would require carriers to disclose to consumers whether any […]
Posted inMaine
No health insurance? You have 15 days and counting
LEWISTON — Nearly every day, Cheri-Ann Parris — an enthusiastic 23-year-old Bates College grad with a warm Barbados accent — approaches perfect strangers and talks up the Affordable Care Act. It’s the law. There’s a deadline. And, she likes to add, isn’t health insurance a good thing to have? “‘You need to take care of […]