tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53065334560342183242013-05-16T11:22:57.884-04:00Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-22219771565415131942013-05-16T11:22:00.001-04:002013-05-16T11:22:57.890-04:00

Mental health is an integral component of overall health and wellness for women. Women are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, than men.  This disparity is even greater for women of lower socio-economic status and women of color.  The greatest challenge for many is seeking effective and affordable treatment.  Women suffering from mental illness may be uninsured or avoid seeking

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-48056308679579411372013-05-15T11:53:00.000-04:002013-05-15T11:53:07.030-04:00

We’ve all been witness to the increasing violence against women—put on very public display with media coverage of high profile sexual assault cases.The trauma this inflicts on women is profound. Consider the recent suicide of a Nova Scotia teenager who was gang-raped and then endured years of bullying before ending her life in early April. Similar stories come from Maine, too. I have

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-31703370482060392272013-05-14T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-14T10:33:49.906-04:00

Reproductive health care is basic health care for women. Yet many women lack access to the care they need to stay healthy and to make healthy decisions for themselves and their families. The good news is that the federal health reform law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), includes provisions that improve access to health insurance coverage for maternity care and family planning services, making

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-86954605326980403562013-05-13T09:30:00.000-04:002013-05-13T09:31:22.347-04:00

May 12-18 is National Women's Health Week!  On Sunday we celebrated our mothers and all they do to make our lives better.  Women are typically the key decision makers for their families' health care and are more likely to be caregivers to their children, spouses, or elderly relatives.  But in the midst of all that caregiving, it is important for all women to get the medical care we need. Today,

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-29604173091272635932013-04-11T14:20:00.001-04:002013-04-11T14:21:31.393-04:00

More Than Enough Work for Agents, Brokers, and Navigators By Joseph Ditré, Esq., Executive Director Hard to imagine, but it’s true. If Maine wanted to enroll all of its 144,959 medically uninsured people according to the most recent estimates during the 6 month open enrollment period that begins on October 1, 2013 and continues through March 31, 2014 – that’s a total of 182 days – it would

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-34243510715330820712013-04-10T13:34:00.000-04:002013-04-10T13:34:01.157-04:00

Given yesterday's release of the navigator funding announcement, the timing couldn't be better for advocates and others working with consumers to get up to speed on what 2014 holds for Maine's health care system. Our friends at the Maine Health Access Foundation (MEHAF) recently published a guest blog post by our Associate Director, Mia Poliquin Pross, on the 3 things we need to be telling people

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-9670048545278438642012-09-12T17:03:00.001-04:002012-09-13T12:27:05.410-04:00

Despite Promises of Lower Premiums, Maine’s New Republican-Passed Law Increased Premiums for About 90% of Maine Small Businesses Insurance companies have now filed three full quarters of small group rate renewal data with the Maine Bureau of Insurance. The data continue to show the trend documented in our recent report -  the vast majority of small businesses are being quoted premium increases

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-42989377730137103082012-08-21T09:52:00.000-04:002012-08-21T12:36:05.739-04:00

Not for profit hospital to be sold to for-profit chain As you have probably heard by now, Portland's Mercy Hospital has signed a letter of intent to sell itself to Steward Health System. While any sale of a hospital is of concern and creates questions such as: "Will patient care suffer?", "Will there be layoffs?", and "Will essential services be maintained?"; this sale will require

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-36390290588901431092012-07-31T09:57:00.000-04:002012-07-31T09:57:58.615-04:00

After spending the past several months dissecting and analyzing the recent rate filings in Maine, our Executive Director traveled to Colorado to share his expertise with our friends at the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI) in a day-long training for staff and interested partners.  In his recent blog post, CCHI's Health Policy Fellow sums up the need to understand and advocate for 

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-6821508662889038632012-07-24T08:44:00.000-04:002012-07-24T08:44:21.859-04:00

Every week we handle dozens of incoming calls from the public and providers across Maine seeking help with accessing health care or getting health insurance.  Often, the questions are just informational and we know that many more people have the same issue and may benefit from updates on this blog.  For example, yesterday we heard from a young woman who wants to get married but doesn't want to

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-50330435841477256482012-06-05T12:35:00.000-04:002012-06-05T12:35:46.505-04:00

We were thrilled to get such an overwhelming response to our Executive Director's post about the Anthem rate hikes and misleading claims made by the Maine Heritage Policy Center! Needless to say, we've been busy!  You can see all the materials on the 2012 Anthem individual rate filing here.  For those policy wonks who want to bite off even more of those apples and oranges, click here to read our

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-43510647026334920232012-05-16T16:16:00.000-04:002012-05-16T16:16:18.345-04:00

Today, the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative spin-tank funded by Wall Street’s biggest insurance and pharmaceutical firms, posted a blog that would have you believe Maine’s new insurance law called Chapter 90 is lowering insurance rates for individuals and small businesses. Unfortunately, it is not true. Using Anthem Health Plans of Maine’s recent individual insurance filing with

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-80910890657456335482012-05-16T15:13:00.000-04:002012-05-16T15:14:14.013-04:00

So it's a little late to celebrate Mother's Day, but it is National Women's Health Week, a good reminder to take stock of all the important benefits for women in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Unless you've been completely avoiding media for the past week, you've probably heard about the controversial Time magazine cover featuring a woman breastfeeding her nearly 4-year old child to illustrate a

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-76991281925629374562012-05-08T11:20:00.002-04:002012-05-08T11:27:16.937-04:00

Yesterday's Portland Press Herald featured stories about the rise in hospital free care in Maine, addressed questions about the function of non-profit hospitals in our communities, and outlined eligibility guidelines for patients in need of free care. The amount of free care or "charity care" provided by Maine's 36 non-profit hospitals has doubled in the last five years. The article also

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-55883753127126026642012-04-04T14:38:00.113-04:002012-04-04T15:51:45.344-04:00

Perhaps one of the most important health care innovations in the modern era is our ability to screen for many types of cancer including breast, cervical, and colorectal, among others.  Women, in particular, are inundated with changing recommendations about mammograms and breast cancer screenings, leaving us to constantly question our own self-judgment and that of our doctors.  Unfortunately, our

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-6306806539908538022012-03-30T10:49:00.001-04:002012-03-30T10:53:40.887-04:00

According to a new study of 11 countries by the Commonwealth Fund, patient engagement leads to better health outcomes.  Adults with complex health needs who are engaged in their care, e.g. self-managing a health condition or participating in treatment decisions, have better quality of care and experience of care.  These same adults also report fewer medical errors and rate the health care system

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-55007608199600665272012-03-21T15:52:00.000-04:002012-03-21T15:52:47.249-04:00

If you listen to any top 40 radio station, you probably know the tune I'm referring to...it's catchy and does stick with you after just a few listens.  The creative and clever folks at Maine Quality Counts are also now "halfway there"....celebrating the halfway point of their innovative Patient-Centered Medical Home Pilot (PCMH).  The pop song may go down in history as a "one hit wonder" but

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-60207398775082063882012-03-12T10:45:00.000-04:002012-03-12T10:45:46.797-04:00

Hearing from health law and policy experts at last month's forum really whet our appetite for the Supreme Court oral arguments starting March 26th and the implications of the case on policies and programs in the ACA already underway.  And we're clearly not the only ones interested.  An article in the Associated Press reminds us that the ACA is a trek, not a sprint and that the law will take up to

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-81308976198877668282012-02-28T17:56:00.000-05:002012-02-28T17:56:04.236-05:00

How are you planning to spend the extra day on the calendar tomorrow?  Sadly, Leap Day hasn't been declared a national holiday, so we'll be at USM in Portland tomorrow, Feb. 29th hosting a forum on health reform. With the current debates swirling about the role government should play in helping people access health care coverage, the timing of tomorrow's panel on the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-18234772551310352282012-02-22T14:20:00.001-05:002012-02-22T14:21:47.209-05:00

It's hard to believe it's almost March of 2012 and time to observe the 2-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act.  An important but little known provision in the law was creation of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation in CMS aimed at developing new payment models of care for the population of patients with both Medicaid and Medicare, known as "dual eligibles".  As Community

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-24683296497898699092011-12-23T11:42:00.002-05:002011-12-23T13:21:11.414-05:00

Here's part two of our two-part post on the latest policy happenings.... LD1333/Ch90Chapter 90 (the bill LD 1333) is the new law passed by the Legislature last session that drastically changes the way private health coverage is regulated in Maine. Community RatingThe changes to the Community Rating standards have already started to take effect for small businesses and will start in 2012 for

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-27720232888273824852011-12-22T16:42:00.003-05:002011-12-22T16:55:35.942-05:00

The end of 2011 has been extremely busy for CAHC and other health policy wonks in Maine and DC!  Here's the first of a two-part post on how things are shaping up and what we can look forward to in 2012 on the health policy front. State Supplemental BudgetAs part of the Maine Can Do Better coalition CAHC and others have been working to oppose the Governor's proposed budget cuts to MaineCare and

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-83726469631978459542011-11-28T12:02:00.000-05:002011-11-28T12:02:30.825-05:00

This time of year always reminds me of law school and being stuck in the library studying for exams when it seemed like everyone else was out Christmas shopping, cookie baking, and frolicking in the snow.  A common type of exam question is one in which the professor provides a fact pattern that requires you to spot the issues and apply your legal knowledge to propose possible solutions and

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-22031243063848095282011-11-14T11:32:00.001-05:002011-11-14T13:12:03.286-05:00

It's hard to believe that 2014, the year that the state health insurance Exchanges created by the ACA must be operational, is just under 2 years away!  We've begun the lengthy and difficult process at the state level of deciding how to structure the Exchange, e.g. how will it function, who will be in charge, and how will we pay for it.  Just last week, MPBN covered the latest in Exchange politics

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-31922411839175367222011-11-08T15:11:00.001-05:002011-11-10T12:27:08.531-05:00

On November 7, I attended the first meeting of the Maine Quality Forum’s (MQF) Shared Decision Making (SDM) Workgroup.  I am one of the consumer representatives that was asked to join the group.  The Workgroup was formed as a result of a report delivered to the legislature in February entitled “The Practice and Impact of Shared Decision-Making.”  You can view the full report here.  In case you’

Consumers for Affordable Health Carehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17322595788389975503noreply@blogger.com0