AUGUSTA, Maine — As lawmakers grapple with the governor’s proposal to close a more than $120 million shortfall in the Department of Health and Human Services budget for the next six months, the funding gap could be twice as big. The state owes hospitals $125 million through the remainder of this fiscal year, debt that […]
health care
Posted inOur View
Founders began the first national health-care plan
As Republican presidential aspirants Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney slug it out in South Carolina, it’s worth remembering that they have been in lock step on at least one issue: the individual insurance mandate in the 2010 health care reform bill. They were both for it before they were against it. Romney was governor of […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
9,000 sign petition opposing MaineCare cuts
AUGUSTA, Maine — A mental health counselor hand-delivered to lawmakers on Wednesday a petition with the signatures of nearly 9,000 people who oppose Gov. Paul LePage’s planned MaineCare cuts. Jennifer Lunden, executive director of the Center for Creative Healing in Portland, gave the 917-page document to Rep. Pat Flood, R-Winthrop, co-chairman of the Legislature’s Appropriations […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
New study disputes LePage administration on MaineCare’s childless adults
AUGUSTA, Maine — The childless adults Gov. Paul LePage has proposed dropping from MaineCare are far from young and healthy, despite rhetoric to the contrary, according to a report released Monday by an advocacy group for the poor. More than 40 percent of childless adults covered through MaineCare are older than 45 and many have […]
Posted inLetters
S. Tetenman: LePage cuts will increase costs
Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed MaineCare cuts will lead to more expensive forms of care, such as emergency rooms. The cuts will add the burden to other departments and municipalities. The governor said it is not fair to expect taxpayers to bear more of the burden. Is it fair asking those most in need to bear […]
Posted inLetters
T. Shields: LePage is on right path
I, among many others, have not seen the actual current budget proposal of Gov. Paul LePage. I have seen a lot written by my fellow citizens, most of them severely critical of it. I suspect this criticism is based on what they have been told or read somewhere, and not based on the actual document […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Preventive care: It’s free, except when it’s not
CHICAGO (AP) — Bill Dunphy thought his colonoscopy would be free. His insurance company told him it would be covered 100 percent, with no copayment from him and no charge against his deductible. The nation’s 1-year-old health law requires most insurance plans to cover all costs for preventive care including colon cancer screening. So Dunphy […]
Posted inMaine
Maine gets $6 million to implement health care law it’s suing to stop
AUGUSTA — The state will soon get nearly $6 million in federal funding to set up the health insurance exchanges mandated by the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Maine this week became one of 13 states awarded grants by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Maine is also one of 26 states challenging […]
Posted inOxford Hills, River Valley, sj-web
Doctors scarce in Oxford County
OXFORD — Hoping to find a doctor in Oxford County? Good luck. A recent report of county health rankings shows that Oxford County has just one primary care physician for every 1,490 residents, the worst ratio in the state. “Some places just don’t accept new patients because there’s nowhere to put them,” said Dr. William […]
Posted inMaine, Nation / World, sj-web
States suing over health care law collect funding
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are awarding more money to help states carry out President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. The surprise? The list includes seven states suing to overturn the landmark law. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Tuesday that 13 states will split grants totaling nearly $220 million to set up […]