When Charlene Brousseau first tried a month ago to sign up for health insurance through new online marketplaces, she remained optimistic despite some technical problems. Now, the Manchester woman is thoroughly fed up with the botched rollout of Healthcare .gov, the federal government’s website for the new marketplaces. Over the last few weeks, Brousseau has tried to apply […]
ACA
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Obama blames ‘bad apple’ insurers for canceled coverage
President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that “bad apple” insurance companies, not his signature healthcare law, are to blame for hundreds of thousands of people losing their coverage in the past few weeks. As administration officials scrambled to fix technical problems on an online insurance marketplace that is central to the success of the Affordable […]
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Posted inRiver Valley
River Valley residents get info on Obamacare
MEXICO — The River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition held its monthly networking meeting Wednesday afternoon at the new Med-Care building, where residents heard a presentation on the Affordable Care Act. Jake Grindle, the health marketplace navigator and program specialist for Western Maine Community Action, fielded questions about the act and how it will affect people […]
Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn, Oxford Hills, River Valley
Lewiston health insurance co-op wants to add large businesses
LEWISTON — Weeks after it started selling health insurance to individuals and small businesses, Maine Community Health Options wants to add large businesses to the mix. The head of MCHO, a new Lewiston-based health insurance co-op, says it has applied to the Maine Bureau of Insurance for permission to insure groups of more than 50 […]
Posted inRiver Valley
RVHCC to host Affordable Care Act speaker at Oct. 30 meeting
MEXICO — The River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition will hold a community networking meeting at noon Wednesday, Oct. 30. It will be held at the new Med-Care Ambulance facility at 290 Highland Terrace, coalition Executive Director Patricia Duguay said in an email. Attendees should bring their own lunch. Health marketplace navigator Jake Grindle, a program […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Contractors to explain HealthCare.gov problems to Congress
WASHINGTON — The principal contractors responsible for the federal government’s trouble-plagued health insurance website say the Obama administration shares responsibility for the snags that have crippled the system. Executives of CGI Federal, which built the federal HealthCare.gov website serving 36 states, and QSSI, which designed the part that verifies applicants’ income and other personal details, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage holds firm in opposition to Medicaid expansion, but GOP legislator says negotiations continue
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is watching closely as Republican governors in other states find ways to expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, but so far LePage is not ready to propose anything that would lead to an expansion in Maine. However, Assistant Senate Minority Leader Roger Katz, R-Augusta, said his push […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills, The Franklin Journal
ACA info meeting leaves some more confused
PARIS — An Affordable Care Act information session in the Paris Fire Station Tuesday evening offered a run-through of the new law, but left some still scratching their heads. “The biggest take-away for me is that this may confuse issues rather than make them more straightforward,” Bill Bryant said after the session. “Obviously there are more […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Groups tell state panel that interest remains high for ACA
AUGUSTA — Interest in the federal health care exchange has been high in Maine since enrollment opened on Oct. 1, yet glitches in the website continue to be a problem for consumers, health groups and insurance companies said on Monday. Emily Brostek, who oversees the statewide help line for the Augusta-based Consumers for Affordable Health Care […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Obama says there’s ‘No excuse’ for health care signup problems
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday said there was “no excuse” for the cascade of computer problems that have marred the rollout of a key element in his health care law, but declared he was confident the administration would be able to fix the issues. “There’s no sugarcoating it,” Obama said. “Nobody is more […]