Republican moves to undercut the Affordable Care Act may be the cause, but another reason may be that more Mainers are just keeping their current plans.
health care
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
'Big, bold things' on tap for Democrats in Augusta, Nate Libby says
LEWISTON — With his former dog sitter likely to be the city’s next member of Congress, his party soon to control both the state House and state Senate, and a Democratic governor soon to take office, state Sen. Nate Libby is pretty darn happy. In the wake of Tuesday’s successful election for Democrats in Maine, […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Maine hospitals get creative to find nurses
LEWISTON — For a while, they tried bringing nursing students pizza. It was a way for the St. Mary’s Health System’s talent acquisition team to connect, to introduce themselves, to say, hey, St. Mary’s has some jobs openings for you, future nurses. A lot of openings. They attended local college coffee-and-doughnut hours, too. And blanketed […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Perspective, sj-web
Can you benefit if your insurer gains access to your Fitbit data?
Life insurance company John Hancock made a splash last week with the news that soon all of its policies would come bundled with the option to let the company track your fitness – via either a website and app, or through the use of a fitness tracker like an Apple Watch or Fitbit. The move […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Central Maine Healthcare hopes Topsham Care Center can lower patient costs
TOPSHAM — A one-stop-shopping health care center that’s being called the first of its kind in Maine is opening at the Topsham Fair Mall, but is there enough demand for such services in the area outside of the hospital setting? When Lewiston-based Central Maine Healthcare unveiled its plans for the Topsham Care Center, the promise […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Democrats zing Bruce Poliquin for scrubbing ACA repeal from his website
If there’s one issue that Democrats are pounding more than any other in Maine’s increasingly bitter 2nd District congressional race, it’s that two-term U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin voted last year to gut the Affordable Care Act. It’s an issue Poliquin isn’t keen to focus on. Yet his critics, including Jared Golden, Poliquin’s top challenger, said […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Hospital rejections of mentally ill patients spotlight failure of system
The disclosure that two Lewiston hospitals were found to have illegally rejected patients who arrived at their emergency departments with mental health issues has highlighted a chronic lack of services for people with mental illnesses in Maine. Behavioral health experts, hospital executives and law enforcement officials say the state’s mental health system is riddled with […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Report: CMMC and St. Mary's turned away psychiatric patients, had them arrested
LEWISTON — An investigation shows two hospitals in Lewiston turned away psychiatric patients and had them arrested, causing their conditions to worsen in some cases. The Bangor Daily News reported that hospital staff at Central Maine Medical Center and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center deleted patient records, or never recorded the encounters. Licensing inspectors found that Central […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine DHHS denies applications for expanded Medicaid
Denial letters have started to go out for Mainers applying for coverage under Medicaid expansion, according to documents and a progressive advocacy group that is suing the LePage administration. The Mainers are eligible for Medicaid under a new law that was approved last year by voters, but the state has so far refused to expand the health […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Short-term health plans coming to Maine won’t cover pre-existing conditions, or much else
New low-cost, short-term health insurance plans allowed by the Trump administration will be available in Maine this fall, but health care advocates say the plans won’t provide protections for pre-existing conditions and are filled with loopholes to avoid paying claims. Mitchell Stein, a Maine-based health insurance consultant, said many of the short-term plans, which cost […]