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 […]
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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 […]
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Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Oxford Hills, River Valley
The rules and regs most likely to affect your life
You’ve read through this entire five-part series on the Affordable Care Act. Bravo, informed citizen. Or maybe you’re just tuning in now. Either way, you might be thinking, “What do I absolutely have to remember so I can move on with my life?” Here are the most important ACA rules and deadlines to keep in […]
Posted inMaine
ACA aware: Watch out for scams, cons and fraud
State officials have a message for you: No one from the government will be calling to sell you insurance. If someone does, it’s a scam. Also, that person calling to set you up with a new “Obamacare” insurance card? Scam. That site that says it’ll sign you up for insurance from the marketplace before everyone […]
Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Oxford Hills, River Valley
ACA the Maine way
Last in a five-part series Maine is different. We worship the whoopie pie. We use words like “wicked” and “jeezum crow.” We know how to drive on two inches of ice covered in a foot of snow. We went our own way with the ACA. The 900-plus-page Affordable Care Act is a federal law, yes, […]
Posted inMaine
The ACA in 5
The stories in our series are (read them at www.sunjournal.com/aca101): Sunday, Sept. 8: Affordable Care Huh? We break down the ACA, what it does and what it requires you to do. Monday, Sept. 9: So you (maybe) want to buy insurance from the exchange: The essentials you should know. When to buy, how, what a […]
Posted inMaine
The business end of Obamacare: ACA advice for businesses
Fourth in a five-part series Hey business owners: How much time do you spend worrying about health insurance for your workers? A lot? Don’t have time to answer because you’re . . . too busy actually running your business? You’re probably aware that the Affordable Care Act ushers in big changes for how employers provide […]
Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Oxford Hills, River Valley
Free preventive care? It’s a benefit (and controversy) of the ACA
Most of us visit the doctor only when we’re sick or injured. We break an ankle, get walloped with the flu, and finally dial up our physician or nurse practitioner to tell them where it hurts. The Affordable Care Act seeks to change that. While the health reform law can’t quell your fear of needles […]
Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Oxford Hills, River Valley
The list: Free preventative care
Many health plans are required to cover certain preventive care services to adults at no cost under the Affordable Care Act, such as mammograms and colonoscopies. All health plans sold through the health insurance marketplaces — where small businesses and consumers can shop for coverage come Oct. 1 — and many other plans must cover […]
Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Oxford Hills, River Valley
Free breast pumps! And other little-known features buried in the ACA
So, let’s say you’re pregnant. (Fellas, bear with me here.) You’re thinking you’d like to breastfeed your new bundle of joy. You’re sure. Pretty sure. But how to work and nurse? Under the Affordable Care Act, you’ll get some help figuring that out. (Plus a free breast pump for just that purpose.) If you’re not […]