As Maine’s providers of Affordable Care Act-compliant health insurance prepare to file their rate requests for 2019, analysts say they are expecting ACA individual insurance rates in Maine to increase by double digits as they have done in previous years. Both of Maine’s existing providers of Affordable Care Act individual health insurance say they plan […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Susan Collins says she is still hopeful for ACA fixes
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Wednesday said she’s not giving up on fixes to the Affordable Care Act’s individual marketplace, despite such efforts failing in Congress last month. But Collins said she’s “not very optimistic” that the measures would be taken up this year. Collins made an appearance at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
'Affordable' care in question under Trump administration
Escalating premiums and deductibles have driven about 10,000 Mainers over a health care “cliff,” where they can barely afford coverage thanks to a vulnerability in the Affordable Care Act exploited by the actions of the Trump administration. Depending on the plan chosen, premiums have increased by about 70 percent or more since 2014 for people […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Collins now says tax reform vote wasn’t contingent on support for her bills to boost ACA
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine appeared Thursday to contradict previous comments she made that her vote for the Republican tax reform proposal that passed in December was based on promises she secured from Republican leaders that Affordable Care Act stabilization measures would be approved. Collins said the ACA measures were among numerous issues that were […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine employers dispute IRS penalties under ACA
The Internal Revenue Service has ordered at least two dozen businesses in Maine and New Hampshire to pay fines up to $1 million or more for failing to abide by the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate. But legal and accounting experts in Maine say most of the fines are based on errors and should not […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Community Health Options sues federal government for second time
A Maine-based health insurance cooperative is suing the federal government over a decision to stop some reimbursements under the Affordable Care Act. Community Health Options, based in Lewiston, filed the lawsuit in federal court, seeking nearly $5.7 million in reimbursements that were supposed to be issued during the last three months of 2017. The nonprofit […]
Posted inLocal & State
Susan Collins says votes promised on bills to stabilize ACA won’t happen until 2018
Sen. Susan Collins announced Wednesday that crucial Affordable Care Act stabilization bills will be delayed until 2018 despite the promises she received from Republican leaders that they would be approved by the end of this year. Collins had emphasized passage of the two bills to secure her vote for the tax reform bill. “I think the policy […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Susan Collins defends controversial tax bill
For U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul is a mixed bag. The Maine Republican, who voted for the Senate version last week, said late Monday the bill “is by no means perfect and it’s not the bill I would have drafted.” But, she said, it offers hope for tax relief that’s worth […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Tax bill's fate may depend on Maine's Susan Collins
Once again, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins may decide the fate of a major proposal touted by President Donald Trump — a tax overhaul. The Maine Republican’s vote is crucial to winning passage in the Senate of a tax bill that would slice the corporate rate and cut most household taxes during the next decade. The […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Angus King urges Mainers to consider health insurance
LEWISTON — With just five weeks left in a shortened open enrollment period, U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, on Monday urged Mainers to seriously consider their health insurance options, including insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. “Health care saves lives, but health insurance also saves lives,” King told about two dozen people at Central […]