AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine agencies and community health centers are busily training workers, prepping outreach programs and finalizing advertising campaigns to reach consumers and sign them up for coverage on the exchange under the federal health care overhaul. The exchange, or marketplace, that opens for enrollment Tuesday is a key part of President Barack Obama’s […]
health
Posted insj-web
Maine marketplace rates exceed national average
AUGUSTA (AP) — The costs of plans being offered on Maine’s health insurance marketplace are among the highest in the country on average before tax credits for lower-income individuals and out-of-pocket costs are factored in, according to a federal report released Wednesday. Maine residents will pay an average of $403 a month for a mid-range […]
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Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills
Local woman organizes run to fight obesity
PARIS — After giving birth to her son last May, Rachael Follansbee committed to changing her life. She changed her diet and started working out. Her goal: Get from 210 pounds to 150. Now, at a lean 135 pounds, Follansbee, 31, is feeling better than she ever has, and she has a newfound drive to […]
Posted inLocal & State
Increased violence at Maine’s psych hospital prompts reform
AUGUSTA — Of the 92 people in state custody who were found “not criminally responsible” for crimes, 18 have been charged with at least one count of murder. That’s more than 20 percent of the state’s so-called “NCR” population, while less than 2 percent of those serving time in Maine prisons have been convicted of […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Lewiston-Auburn, The Franklin Journal
Affordable Care Act info session set for Auburn
AUBURN — A public information session on the federal health care reform law will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the commons at Saint Dominic Academy at 121 Gracelawn Road. Individuals seeking information about the new federal health insurance exchanges, newly proposed insurance plans on the exchanges or other aspects for the […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston Library hosts Affordable Care Act discussion
LEWISTON — The Lewiston Public Library and the Maine chapter of the AARP will host a discussion Sept. 4 on the finer points of the Affordable Care Act. The program, “The Affordable Care Act and You,” will be presented by AARP representative Ellen Harris-Howard at 6 p.m. in the library’s Callahan Hall. Harris-Howard will discuss the […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Fracking health project puts numbers to debate
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A project examining the local health impacts from natural gas drilling is providing some of the first preliminary numbers about people who may be affected, and the results challenge the industry position that no one suffers but also suggest the problems may not be as widespread as some critics claim. The Southwest […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Craven to chair two health care panels
LEWISTON — State Sen. Margaret Craven, D-Lewiston, has been named the Senate chair of two newly formed legislative groups to address health insurance exchanges and long-term care facilities. The Maine Health Exchange Advisory Committee will make recommendations for improving the health insurance exchanges that will begin operations later this year as part of the federal […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine groups get grants to sign up uninsured
AUGUSTA (AP) — Two Maine organizations will receive almost $550,000 in federal grants to help residents sign up for insurance under the new federal health care law. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that Western Maine Community Action, INC. and Fishing Partnership Health Plan will receive $541,846 to run “navigator” programs. […]
Posted inLocal & State
Switch to third-party vendor leaves MaineCare patients without rides
LEWISTON — A change in the way MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program, provides transportation for clients without vehicles has left many stranded or missing appointments in recent weeks. On Monday, Tracy Bennett of Bethel said she’s been stood up for a ride at least 10 times in the last week. Bennett, who is being treated […]