AUGUSTA, Maine — The childless adults Gov. Paul LePage has proposed dropping from MaineCare are far from young and healthy, despite rhetoric to the contrary, according to a report released Monday by an advocacy group for the poor. More than 40 percent of childless adults covered through MaineCare are older than 45 and many have […]
health care
Posted inLetters
S. Tetenman: LePage cuts will increase costs
Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed MaineCare cuts will lead to more expensive forms of care, such as emergency rooms. The cuts will add the burden to other departments and municipalities. The governor said it is not fair to expect taxpayers to bear more of the burden. Is it fair asking those most in need to bear […]
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Posted inLetters
T. Shields: LePage is on right path
I, among many others, have not seen the actual current budget proposal of Gov. Paul LePage. I have seen a lot written by my fellow citizens, most of them severely critical of it. I suspect this criticism is based on what they have been told or read somewhere, and not based on the actual document […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Preventive care: It’s free, except when it’s not
CHICAGO (AP) — Bill Dunphy thought his colonoscopy would be free. His insurance company told him it would be covered 100 percent, with no copayment from him and no charge against his deductible. The nation’s 1-year-old health law requires most insurance plans to cover all costs for preventive care including colon cancer screening. So Dunphy […]
Posted inLocal & State
Maine gets $6 million to implement health care law it’s suing to stop
AUGUSTA — The state will soon get nearly $6 million in federal funding to set up the health insurance exchanges mandated by the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Maine this week became one of 13 states awarded grants by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Maine is also one of 26 states challenging […]
Posted inOxford Hills, River Valley, sj-web
Doctors scarce in Oxford County
OXFORD — Hoping to find a doctor in Oxford County? Good luck. A recent report of county health rankings shows that Oxford County has just one primary care physician for every 1,490 residents, the worst ratio in the state. “Some places just don’t accept new patients because there’s nowhere to put them,” said Dr. William […]
Posted inLocal & State, Nation / World, sj-web
States suing over health care law collect funding
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are awarding more money to help states carry out President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. The surprise? The list includes seven states suing to overturn the landmark law. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Tuesday that 13 states will split grants totaling nearly $220 million to set up […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
CMMC seeks to expand availability of experimental drugs to patients through clinical trials
LEWISTON — Central Maine HealthCare has joined an Auburn research company to offer more local people the chance to enroll in clinical trials, widely expanding the availability of experimental drugs for problems including diabetes, arthritis and heart disease. By next year, the number of Lewiston-Auburn-area people enrolled in trials could triple from 500 to 1,500, […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Journalist finds good news in U.S. health care system
LEWISTON — There’s good news buried in the U.S. health care system’s web of unfairness and inefficiency, argues best-selling health care writer T.R. Reid. Some medical communities are trying hard to cut the cost of health care. And it’s working, Reid told a Bates College audience Wednesday. “In many places in America, the doctors actively work […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Appeals court upholds Obama health care law
WASHINGTON (AP) — A conservative-leaning appeals court panel on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s health care law, as the Supreme Court prepares to consider this week whether to resolve conflicting rulings over the law’s requirement that all Americans buy health care insurance. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the […]