Maine news and information

PORTLAND, Maine—Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems acquired Mercy Health System in Portland on Oct. 2 after winning approval from state regulators. Mercy was previously owned by Catholic Health East, which recently merged with Trinity Health and is Brewer-based EMHS' eighth hospital in...
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The hunt for cheaper prescription drugs long has led consumers to reach beyond U.S. borders, but under a Maine law set to take effect Wednesday, their search now will have the state's blessing.
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With new online health insurance exchanges set to launch Tuesday, consumers in many Southern and Plains states will have to look harder for information on how the marketplaces work than their counterparts elsewhere.
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Maine Gov. Paul LePage said on Wednesday that the state has paid its hospitals nearly $500 million for unpaid Medicaid services, ending a long-standing debt the Republican governor says has been financially crippling for the state's hospitals and Maine's economy.
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Maine hospitals this month will feel relief when they receive nearly $500 million from the state, but the payments don't provide a remedy for higher taxes that hospitals are paying and lower reimbursements they're receiving for medical services, hospital officials say.
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For the past six years, a University of Washington program has trained indigenous tribal members across Alaska as dental hygienists to combat the epidemic of tooth decay suffered by native Alaskans and others living in Alaska's rural areas.
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The CMS on Tuesday heralded a lower prevalence of antipsychotic drug use in the nation's nursing homes, which the agency attributes to a dementia-care program it launched last year.
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Premiums paid by employers this year for their employees' family health coverage rose 4%, a relatively modest rate by historical standards, according to a new survey.
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In a growing number of contracts with providers, private health insurers are embracing accountable care, which holds providers jointly responsible for controlling costs and improving outcomes.
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While a new report estimates millions of people could be added to Medicaid and CHIP if all states expanded the programs under the ACA, several states have refused, leaving thousands without coverage.
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