AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that for the first time would provide emergency dental care for adults who receive Medicaid benefits. The proposal is designed to reduce uncompensated emergency room treatment for dental pain. Currently, children are covered for dental care but not adults. About 25 states provide at least some […]
MaineCare
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Lawmakers say online MaineCare application is too intrusive
AUGUSTA — Some Maine lawmakers say questions for single parents on the state’s online application for Medicaid are too intrusive and should be eliminated. Single parents applying for MaineCare coverage are being asked personal questions, including where their child was conceived and the reason the other parent is absent. Democratic state Rep. Richard Farnsworth of […]
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Posted inLetters
R. Reed: Focus on solutions
This past week it was announced that Democrats in the Maine Legislature will try to stop payment to the Alexander Group for the Medicaid report. Part One has been presented and resulted in political posturing by those who seek to keep the status quo. The main argument against the numbers presented was they were far […]
Posted inOp-Eds
April Nichols: Maine’s nursing homes being shortchanged
Since the beginning of the economic decline in 2007, the public conversation in Maine has focused on keeping and creating jobs. Policymakers have identified employment as one of the greatest motivators for economic stability, and significant efforts have been made to stimulate hiring. Unfortunately, pursuit of this priority has become endangered in Maine by significant […]
Posted inLetters
P. Hoffman and J. Cogan: Do what is right and decent
“One cannot pick oneself up by the bootstraps when bedridden by a chronic but treatable illness.” — Marguerite Pennoyer, MD, Sun Journal column, Jan. 24. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution emphasizes the importance of “promoting the general welfare,” to preserve our freedoms and prosperity as a whole society. “Welfare” today is given a negative […]
Posted inLetters
M. Larson: Keep Maine’s workforce healthy
The LePage administration has stated that the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare will cost the state millions of dollars, yet I hear little about the costs of refusing the millions of dollars from the federal government that pay for the expansion. Each of us fortunate enough to have insurance pays an estimated $1,000 per year to […]
Posted inOur View
Medicaid expansion will save us money
The most compelling argument for expanding Medicaid to cover about 70,000 more people is the simplest. The people are here. They will get sick. When they do, they will receive care they cannot afford. That’s not liberal or conservative; that’s just reality. And that fact leaves only one question: Who will foot that bill? Will […]
Posted inLetters
O. Picher: Cost of insurance a burden
I keep hearing that Maine’s Democrats want to add 70,000 people to MaineCare. These people are able to work and are not disabled. Someone explain to me why I have to pay $7,000 per year for my family’s insurance premiums, deductible and co-pays. Where is the workingman’s piece of pie? The cost of insurance has […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
House overturns LePage veto of bill designed to help MaineCare recipients quit smoking
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly overrode Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill designed to reduce tobacco-related illness in Maine, but the House narrowly sustained a budget bill veto that could reduce state revenues by about $7 million between now and mid-2015. LePage last week vetoed LD 386, An […]
Posted inLetters
S. Sokol: The right thing to do
Two bills are advancing in the Maine Legislature, one dealing with the expansion of MaineCare and the second with the establishment of a single-payer system. The expansion of MaineCare is voluntary and the Legislature’s vote to implement that was vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage. While I do understand the fiscal concerns involved, facts clearly show […]