tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53065334560342183242015-06-08T06:50:05.425-04:00Advocating the right to quality, affordable health care for every man, woman and child.Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-62237007437299857932014-01-20T08:45:00.002-05:002014-01-20T08:45:26.303-05:00

Today our state and nation will celebrate the memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here in Maine there will be events statewide to honor him and his passion for equality. https://bangordailynews.com/2014/01/17/news/state/martin-luther-king-jr-events-planned-statewide/   “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” Dr. Martin Luther

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-27136621096024555972013-11-22T15:36:00.000-05:002013-11-22T15:36:43.214-05:00

Good News! If you have been trying to enroll in a health plan on Healthcare.gov so that your coverage will begin on January 1, 2014, there is some good news today from the federal government. You now have until December 23rd – not December 15th – to enroll and your coverage will be effective on January 1, 2014. Many people have had difficulty with Healthcare.gov, the Web site that allows

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-26889448598687776962013-11-16T13:31:00.002-05:002013-11-18T12:07:42.536-05:00

I'm tempted to start off by saying what a crazy week it's been - but that's not news to anyone who has turned on the TV, surfed the internet or opened a newspaper.  It's also not new since for the past six weeks those of us involved in helping to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and those just trying to follow its progress have felt like they've been on a bucking bronco ride that never

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-11099944865909226772013-10-22T13:29:00.000-04:002013-10-22T14:56:16.373-04:00

I spent yesterday participating in the legislature’s Exchange Advisory Committee – a group whose goal is to monitor the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and contribute what we can to the process.  I also spent a lot of time talking to the press.  But with all that attention I’m concerned that a very incomplete message is getting out to the public, compelling me to try and set the record

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-19925761555523283782013-10-03T11:59:00.001-04:002013-10-03T12:02:04.507-04:00

"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." People usually stop there, but let’s go ahead and review the whole quote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-88865134494282432412013-09-06T14:47:00.003-04:002013-09-06T16:38:42.343-04:00

Every day we get one step closer to enrolling thousands of Mainers in the ACA Marketplace, an exciting and historic moment for Maine.  Our greatest challenge is in helping consumers understand the law, what it means for them, and how to get information when they need it.  This brief Q&A with Mitchell provides the answers to some of these questions. What is the Affordable Care Act? The

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-45757588966037017572013-08-13T10:12:00.000-04:002013-08-13T10:17:58.765-04:00

“All the trees are dying!”                “How do you know?” “Because this leaf just fell on my head so that means all the leaves are falling off all the trees.” Generalizing from an isolated incident or two is never a good idea – especially when you then want to use those generalizations to make policy. Recently there’s been a lot of talk about the ACA’s employer mandate resulting in

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-75312787674658190842013-07-24T11:22:00.001-04:002013-07-24T11:22:04.480-04:00

Most everyone we talk to knows that they can keep their adult children on their plan up to age 26 under the ACA.  This is true whether or not your child is married (see our post here), lives at home, or lives in a different state.  Lately we've heard from a few people who are curious about what happens in 2014 when everyone must have insurance.  What happens, for example, if it's cheaper for the

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-64285505033103089912013-07-16T08:38:00.002-04:002013-07-16T08:38:27.139-04:00

It isn't often that you come away from a doctor's appointment without paying a penny out of pocket.  Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), however, I am happy to report that at my last physical, I did just that!  No copay, no deductible, no coinsurance!  I had an annual physical and well-woman exam with my PCP, including a pap smear and HPV test, all covered at 100%, with no cost-sharing. 

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-67602266551393568752013-07-08T11:20:00.003-04:002013-07-12T12:31:18.717-04:00

Since last week, there has been lots of media attention and additional analysis on the delay of enforcement of the employer mandate.  Additionally, on Friday another set of final Federal regulations relevant to implementation of the ACA was issued.  The intent of this post is to provide important additional information with respect to the questions around the premium tax credits (also known

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-3648391950186608832013-07-03T13:59:00.001-04:002013-07-03T13:59:27.946-04:00

As the dust begins to settle from yesterday’s announcement that the employer mandate portion of the ACA will be delayed, we can begin to gain some clarity as to what this means (or at least begin to ask the right questions).  Remember, these are still early days as we expect further Federal guidance next week - but for now this is the situation along with some selected readings.  The Feds

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5306533456034218324.post-56546448776822431632013-06-26T11:28:00.003-04:002013-06-26T11:28:58.612-04:00

Question: Do I Have to Pay a Penalty if I Don’t Have Health Insurance in 2014? Answer: Starting in 2014, most citizens and lawfully present immigrants will be required to have health insurance. Many people will get help paying for health insurance through a new Marketplace. If you do not have health insurance, you may have to pay a tax penalty. The goal is for everyone to have health

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0tag: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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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,

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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 

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@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

Maine Cahchttps://plus.google.com/106689429236081557039noreply@blogger.com0