LEWISTON — Some small business owners may save money for themselves and their employees by limiting the health care benefits they offer to their workers and their families, experts said Tuesday. The reason is that the federal Affordable Care Act and its health care marketplace may offer equal or better coverage for less money than […]
ACA
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Local & State, sj-web
Lewiston forum discusses ACA for small businesses
LEWISTON (AP) — Small business owners are getting the chance to learn about their options under the federal health care law. Maine Health Access Foundation and the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce are hosting an Affordable Care Act forum on Tuesday at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn Campus. The event designed for businesses for […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
In wall of GOP Medicaid expansion opposition, a crack appears
AUGUSTA — The House’s top Democrat on Wednesday morning presented what he called a “compromise” bill to expand Medicaid in the state to roughly 70,000 of the poorest Mainers. It’s the first glimpse at what Democrats, who hold a majority in the Legislature, hope will be a bill that can gain enough Republican support to […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Head of Anthem in Maine talks about health care rollout, but mum on enrollments
BANGOR — The head of Maine health insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maine said that in spite of the beleaguered launch of the the online marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, the exchange will continue to stabilize, as will prices. Daniel Corcoran, president and general manager of Anthem, delivered the keynote address […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine health insurance signups skyrocket
The number of Mainers signing up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act skyrocketed last month, and most are middle-aged or older, according to new federal figures released Monday that for the first time include demographic data key to the law’s insurance overhaul. Since the launch of healthcare.gov on Oct. 1, 2013, through Dec. […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Feds say 13,704 Mainers have picked ACA plans
AUGUSTA — More than 13,700 Maine residents picked plans on the health care exchange in the first three months of open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, but most Mainers getting coverage are older, according to figures released by the federal government on Monday. Nearly 12,000 people signed up for coverage last month in Maine, one […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Robert Reed: A different road to take toward health insurance
As a conservative, I am deeply concerned by the continued spending habits at all levels of government, including the large expenditure required for MaineCare programs, and the increasing reliance on government assistance by more people here in Maine. At the same time, I am also a realist who believes in analysis and facts to make […]
Posted inLocal & State, Nation / World, sj-web
Health law leaves volunteer firefighting in limbo
FREEPORT (AP) — Fire chiefs and lawmakers are working to protect the system of volunteer firefighting that has served rural America for more than a century but is threatened by an ambiguity in President Barack Obama’s health care law. Small and rural fire departments from California to Maine, which has one of the country’s highest […]
Posted inRiver Valley
River Valley fire chiefs say federal insurance mandate doesn’t apply to their departments
RUMFORD — Chiefs of local volunteer fire departments in the River Valley region said they were either unaware of the Affordable Care Act ambiguity that affects volunteer firefighters or not concerned with it. According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), employers with more than 50 full-time employees (or their […]
Posted insj-web
Marketing efforts to uninsured youth ramp up
MIAMI (AP) — The so-called “young invincibles” are so important to the success of the Affordable Care Act that supporters and detractors are spending millions to reach them with racy ads, social media campaigns and celebrity endorsements. The president is even (gasp) asking their mothers to help convince them to sign up for insurance. The […]