WASHINGTON — The proportion of Americans who lack health insurance took a big dip last year, with nearly 9 million people gaining coverage since 2013, according to federal figures announced Wednesday morning. The new figures, from the large annual Census survey that measures American’s well-being in several ways, found that the share of people across […]
health insurance
Posted inLetters
B. Benoit-Moncure: A better quality of life
As a young, working woman whose income falls in the coverage gap, I struggle to make ends meet and pay for health insurance. I have had my policy cancelled twice because I couldn’t afford to pay the premiums, and that doesn’t count the $40 co-pay. I now cannot afford a visit to my primary care […]
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Posted inOp-Eds
Organizations available to help the public make choices on health insurance
Who is counting on you to stay healthy this Valentine’s Day? Whether your best friend, pet, or significant other is your Valentine this year, being covered is a better gift than a dozen roses, and in some cases, cheaper too. Since open enrollment for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act ends on Feb. 15, […]
Posted inLetters
B. Adler: Need reasonable insurance rates
As I write this letter, my husband of 42 years and I are in the midst of trying to find an affordable health care insurance plan. Our current insurance company has canceled our policy due to new guidelines imposed by Obamacare. We are a struggling small business, just the two of us. I also work […]
Posted inLetters
K. Voorhees: Health care takes step in right direction
I have run my own construction business for 12 years, though it would have been longer than that if I had not faced the barrier of unaffordable, quality health insurance coverage. The lack of meaningful policies for a working class budget made me hesitate many years before taking the leap to independence and self-responsibility. After […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
When health insurance goes wrong . . . and what you can do about it
But “multi-state” has nothing to do with coverage. It’s a federal designation for plans approved to be sold in several states. “To say it could confuse consumers, I think, is an understatement,” Cioppa said. “Because the ‘multi-state’ plan we have in Maine is Anthem’s narrow-network plan and it does not provide coverage out of state.” […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
10 percent of Androscoggin County without health insurance
LEWISTON — About 10,700 people in Androscoggin County — 10 percent of residents — didn’t have health insurance in 2013. Of those uninsured, most were poor but working. The 2013 total of 10,713 people without insurance was up slightly from 9,949 people in 2012. Both years had a margin of error of about 1,800 people, […]
Posted inMaine
U.S. Census: More Mainers lack health insurance
The American Community Survey numbers, released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday, show that Maine’s uninsured population rose from 135,000 in 2012 to 147,000 in 2013, an increase of 12,000 people. However, that difference carries a margin of error of 10,000 people. That means Maine could have between 2,000 and 22,000 more uninsured. In […]
Posted inMaine
ACA proponent: Ruling ‘nothing to panic about’
News Update: ACA to continue subsidies as courts contradict each other Despite a pair of dueling court rulings Tuesday — one that said people cannot use government tax breaks to buy health insurance through federally run Affordable Care Act marketplaces and one that said they can — proponents of the health care reform law said […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Mabel Wadsworth Center holds Saturday protest outside Bangor Hobby Lobby
BANGOR — Women and men stood on the sidewalk in front of Hobby Lobby Saturday morning holding signs that read: “My body is not your hobby,” “Control the boardroom, not the bedroom” and “Life, liberty and reproductive freedom,” amongst others. The group of about 50, organized by the Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center, stood together […]