Save
the Date!
If
you're a social worker, health care provider, business,
school or other group that deals with the public it can
often be tough not knowing what direction to point
people in when they have a health care related
issue.
You
are invited to join a MaineCare Workshop near you this
coming year. These workshops will give you the tools you
need to offer information and application assistance to
individuals and families applying for MaineCare,
DirigoChoice, Maine's prescription drug discount plans,
as well as other free or low cost health care options.
The
2011 schedule can be
found here. |
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Other
Key Dates
March 23
One-year anniversary of the ACA!
April 6
April 11
Bureau of Insurance
Gardiner |
CAHC Launches Blog & Facebook
Page!
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Interesting
Fact
Small
group health insurance coverage provided through the
Dirigo Health Agency is the only small
group policy sold in Maine with no
premium increase in its 2011 renewal rates.
Individuals
may qualify for a subsidy depending on your family size
and income.
Contact
DHA to find out
more! |
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We are a proud member of
MaineShare. Does your workplace offer MaineShare? |
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Maine
Campaign
for Better Care
Have you or someone in your family
suffered from a hospital-acquired infection? Let's
work together to improve patient safety! Please
contact Andrea Irwin to get involved in
this important
initiative. |
Consumer
Assistance Program News
In
partnership with the Attorney General's Office, CAHC is
now the state-designated Consumer Assistance
Program. In addition to helping callers identify
health care options, staff will assist them with
questions about their rights under the ACA and help them
file appeals if necessary. If you or someone you
know needs help please call the Help Line:
1-800-965-7476 |
Thank
You for
reading our newsletters. Please forward it
along to others you think may be interested.
If you are interested in learning more about what
CAHC has been working on, or how we may be able to help
you in your health care or health coverage matters,
please visit our Web
site. .
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New
Year Brings New Medicare Benefits!
Several
important benefits of the Affordable Care Act took
effect on January
1st:
- Seniors with
Medicare get free preventive care, like cancer
screenings and blood pressure checks
- Seniors
also get a free annual wellness visit with their
doctor
- Lower
prescription drug costs for seniors with
Medicare
- Creation
of the Center for Medicare and
Medicaid Innovation to improve quality and
reduce costs
For
more information about the new benefits in
Medicare, click here or call Legal
Services for the Elderly at 1-877-353-3771.
In
other ACA-related news, Maine was recently
selected as one of eight states to expand its
Patient-Centered Medical Home Pilot to include
Medicare. Funded by the ACA, the medical
home pilots are aimed at enhancing primary care
and care coordination. Interested in
learning more about this and other quality-related
efforts? Contact Mitchell Stein.
For
more information about ACA benefits, click here. |
Legislative
and Policy Update
Click
on the links below for more information about
these topics:
Pending Legislation of
Interest
Changes at HHS,
MaineCare
Federal Health Care Reform
Update
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CAHC
Intervenes in Anthem Rate
Hearing
Anthem requested a
rate hike of approximately 9.7% for its individual
health insurance products to go into effect July
1, 2011. The Maine Bureau of
Insurance Superintendent
Mila Kofman will hold a public
hearing before she approves the
request. CAHC has intervened as a party
to the case to represent consumers'
interests and enhance consumer participation
in the rate review process.
For complete
and up-to-date information about the proposed rate
increase visit the Bureau's website
The Bureau is
holding three more public comment
sessions:
Tuesday, March 22nd,
5-7pm, Portland
*Note:
Bureau staff will be available beginning at 4:30
pm to provide training and answer
questions.
NEW!! Early April,
date/time/location TBD, Orono
Monday, April 11,
4-6pm, Gardiner
Click here for
directions.
You may also submit
written comments by sending them to the
Superintendent:
By E-mail:
Sarah.Hewett@maine.gov
By Mail:
Superintendent of
Insurance
ATTN: Sarah Hewett
(INS-11-1000)
34 State House
Station
Augusta, ME
04333
There are also web-based
trainings (webinars) available before the hearings
to explain the rate review process and how to
testify:
Sunday, March 20,
6pm
Monday, March 21,
6pm
If you or someone you know
has an Anthem individual policy and is interested
in getting involved, please contact
us! |
From the
HelpLine:
HelpLine staff
recently assisted a woman who has Multiple
Sclerosis and Medicare coverage as a disabled
person. She used to have MaineCare as a secondary
insurance because of her very low income but after
getting married she realized their combined income
is over the guideline for MaineCare. The
medications she takes costs thousands of dollars a
month, more than their income, in fact. So the
deductible and co-pay costs for her, even with her
Medicare Part D plan, were going to make them go
broke. She was very distraught
and thought maybe she shouldn't have gotten
married.
Happily
there is a program to help them. By utilizing a
procedure called the Ineligible Spouse Allocation,
we are able to deduct $337 from the couple's
monthly income which brought the combined income
down just enough for the woman to be eligible for
the Maine Medicare Savings Program. When using the
Ineligible Spouse Allocation, only one person of
the couple gains eligibility. This works fine for
this couple. The Medicare Savings Program that the
woman is eligible for using this procedure will
take care of her Part D premium, deductible,
co-insurance and "donut hole," making it possible
for the couple to remain married and not go
bankrupt.
Have a question of
your own? Call the free and confidential CAHC
HelpLine:
1-800-838-7476 |
CAHC
Welcomes Emily Blanck to the Consumer Assistance
Program!
Emily
Blanck joined CAHC in early February as the
Consumer Assistance Program Associate. Emily will
provide support to the HelpLine, outreach and
education and electronic communications programs
and staff. A 2009
graduate of American University with a BA in
Public Communication and a minor in Health
Promotion,
Emily
previously was the media advocacy intern for the
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in
Washington, DC. At ACS CAN she gained experience
and interest in health-related nonprofit
organizations, as well as the importance of
accessible and affordable health care, while
working to promote the organization's position on
pending legislation and other relevant
issues. She resides in her
hometown of Winthrop and is looking to buy a house
in the area. Welcome
Emily! |
Dirigo
Health Agency Enjoys One of Its Busiest
Months
The
Dirigo Health Agency
(DHA) is open for business,
and enjoyed one if its busiest months in January
in terms of enrollment in its
programs. Among the more
appealing benefits to individuals and businesses
are:
- Competitive
rates for its DirigoChoice product (a Harvard
Pilgrim plan). Businesses will face no
increase in their premiums at renewal this year,
while individual premiums will increase only
2%. Please note that these increases apply
to each unadjusted community rate class.
If a business or an individual moves into a
different rating category, they may see a
change in their premiums.
- The
Part-Time Worker Voucher Program is funded by a
federal grant provided by the Human Resources
and Service Administration. It allows
employers to offer the same health insurance
coverage to part-time and seasonal workers as
they do to full-time employees, but at only 5%
of the monthly premium.
- DHA
plans pay private rates to hospitals and
providers.
- Small
business tax credits offered by the Affordable
Care Act can be combined with a DHA product to
create a viable option for businesses that could
not afford coverage in the past.
Although
Governor LePage has proposed cuts over the next
three years to DHA, there are still over 580
businesses and nearly 15,000 Mainers enrolled in
its programs. Maine Voices for
Coverage, a group that
CAHC is a member of, requested the list of
businesses enrolled in either DirigoChoice or the
Voucher Program through a Freedom of
Access request. The list can be
found here.
In
addition, CAHC hosted a press conference on March
3 highlighting the DirigoChoice, Part-Time
Employee Voucher Program, and Pre-Existing
Condition Insurance Program products offered by
DHA. (See CAHC in the News
for coverage!) |
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CAHC
Celebrates Go Red for Women "National Wear Red
Day"
CAHC
staff wore red on Friday, February 4th to
celebrate Go Red for Women, the American
Heart Association's campaign to educate women
about heart disease and ways to cut their
risk. In addition to wearing red, the staff
celebrated with a "heart-healthy" potluck
lunch. |
CAHC Staff Attends Families USA Health Action
Conference in DC
Despite inclement weather
conditions, CAHC Executive Director Joe Ditre and
Public Relations Coordinator Greg White traveled
to our nation's capitol in January to participate
in the annual Families USA Health Action
Conference. Together with state advocates
from across the country, Greg and Joe honed their
health policy expertise and gained new insights
into the upcoming challenges our state is
facing.
The
workshops focused on a variety of topics including
health care quality, rate review, and
implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
President Obama, the keynote speaker, House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and other lawmakers
also shared their vision of health care for 2011
and
beyond. | |
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