I am concerned about all the turmoil in Washington, D.C., about keeping (with amendments) the Affordable Care Act or terminating it and installing some Republican version. Mark Shields, syndicated reporter/journalist, and David Brooks discussed the health care insurance issue on the PBS News Hour on Sept. 22. Shields said the effect of the latest Republican […]
health insurance
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Workable health care system
Obamacare became law seven years ago and was sold with false promises, i.e., keep your doctor, annual savings, keep your insurance, more affordable, etc. It contained several thousand pages of regulations the Democrats assured us they read before voting for it. Really? Since then, deductibles have increased significantly, individual market premiums continue to increase, state […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Five bipartisan steps to ?x health insurance
By Bill Frist, Andy Slavitt Special To The Washington Post At a meeting this spring, we sat down with a number of insurance company chief executives who are major participants in the Affordable Care Act exchanges. They asked us to carry back a message to Washington: Put partisanship aside and end federal uncertainty about support […]
Posted inFranklin
Employee contract to save Jay nearly $50,000 in insurance premiums
JAY — A change in the town employees’ health insurance in the highway, sewer and Transfer Station departments will save nearly $50,000 in premium reductions over the next nine months, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said. Under a new Teamsters Union contract, coverage will change from Maine Municipal Association to Allegiant Care. The new health insurance goes […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine uninsured rate remains below national level
New U.S. Census Bureau figures show that the number of Maine residents without health insurance stayed steady from 2015 to 2016. According to a new federal report released Tuesday , Maine’s uninsured rate of 8.6 percent is a drop from 11.2 percent in 2013. About 106,000 Mainer residents lacked health insurance last year, down from […]
Posted inFranklin
Jay: Union contract saves money
JAY – Selectpersons voted unanimously Monday night to approve a two-year union contract with Town Office staff that is expected to save the town nearly $300 to $400 a month on health insurance, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said Tuesday. The action followed an executive session. The contract is for July 1, 2017, through June 30, […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Big pigs rule the trough
I am responding to Thomas Shields’ advocacy (Aug. 6) for the so called “free market” approach to economics. In a free market, the biggest pigs get the largest share of the trough. He doesn’t take account of the facts that little pigs may contribute to the trough out of proportion to their take-away. Regarding the […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Thoughts about health insurance
Insurance coverage for health care should be based on a system that is separate but equal and, most importantly, affordable. By that, I mean creating pools of participation at a level that would be acceptable for the everyday citizen of this great country. Employer-based plans cover the majority of working Americans. Self-employed people should also […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Senators' common sense approach
Finally, Maine and the nation are seeing leadership, and that leadership has two names: The senators from Maine — Susan Collins and Angus King. They correctly represented the people’s wish to leave Americans with access to health care. It is the belief that health and wellness is an opportunity for individuals to live well with […]
Posted inLetters, sj-web
Democrats created a monster
President Obama implanted the germ of entitlement for health insurance with the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). It was passed when the Democrats had a Senate and House majority for two years. No Republican voted for it. Except for Medicare and Medicaid recipients, it required people to buy an insurance product (unconstitutional?) or else be fined. […]