WASHINGTON — The Obama administration defended the health care law’s struggling insurance co-ops Tuesday, suggesting to Congress that cutbacks demanded by lawmakers themselves put added pressure on an altruistic alternative to mega-insurers. State regulators have ordered 11 of the 23 nonprofit co-ops shut down over solvency concerns, forcing several hundred thousand customers to seek new […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Epidemiologist says Maine not prepared for disease outbreaks
BANGOR — A Belfast-based epidemiologist and family physician who investigated infectious disease outbreaks for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that public hysteria and paranoia are not the answer when such crises emerge. A case in point was the recent furor over Ebola. Maine made international headlines when Kaci Hickox, a nurse who […]
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Posted inBusiness, Nation / World, sj-web
Wal-Mart cutting health benefits for some part-timers
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to eliminate health insurance coverage for some of its part-time U.S. employees in a move aimed at controlling rising health care costs of the nation’s largest private employer. Wal-Mart told The Associated Press that starting Jan. 1, it will no longer offer health insurance to employees who […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Older prison population squeezing Maine dollars
WARREN — Maine has the eighth highest percentage of prisoners in the country who are 55 years old or older, fueling an increase in state spending for prison health care, according to a national report released Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the report said states that expand Medicaid coverage are likely to have opportunities for savings, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Healthcare.gov shoppers in Maine paying $99 for premiums on average
Mainers who signed up for insurance through Healthcare.gov paid an average of $99 per month in premiums, according to federal figures released Wednesday. That’s about a third of the $282 per month Maine consumers paid in 2010, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The figures reflect those who buy their own coverage in the “individual […]
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, sj-web
Obama administration optimistic that ACA will cover more Mainers
AUGUSTA — The number of Maine residents enrolled in the new health care marketplace is expected to grow substantially over the next couple of months, the top U.S. Department of Health and Human Services official for New England told Maine lawmakers and industry experts Monday. Christine Hager said that the first part of the open enrollment, […]
Posted inBusiness, Lewiston-Auburn
CMHC withdraws application to take over Parkview hospital
LEWISTON — Central Maine Healthcare has withdrawn its application to take over Parkview Adventist Medical Center in Brunswick, saying state regulators aren’t playing fair and are “inexplicably but undeniably committed to denying this application.” The state denies that it has unfairly pushed the application forward, saying instead that the health care companies were actively partnering […]