The LePage administration is rejecting applications for Medicaid from people who became newly eligible for the program under an expansion approved by voters last fall, according to documents and a progressive advocacy group that is suing the state. Maine has so far refused to expand the health insurance program, which primarily serves low-income residents, even […]
health insurance
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Maine industry leaders embrace new health insurance rules that lower costs – and benefits
Industry leaders in Maine say they welcome new rules issued Tuesday by the Trump administration that will allow national trade organizations, local chambers of commerce and other business groups to offer their own health insurance plans to their members. But some health care advocates criticized the new rules, saying they could further destabilize the state’s […]
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Posted inLetters, sj-web
Save our health care
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]