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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

ME: Poverty Issues

Medicare Savings Programs help people with limited income and resources pay for some or all of their Medicare costs. Enrollment in these MSPs puts more than $2,000 back into the wallets of seniors and adults with disabilities each year, according to AARP Maine. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Supplemental budget puts Maine’s Medicare Savings Programs at risk

Some 30,000 Mainers could lose access to critical healthcare benefits under Gov. Janet Mills' proposed supplemental budget. The state legislature …

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New survey data from Maine's Consumers for Affordable Health Care found two of three Mainers said they would have difficulty paying a $500 medical expense.(Adobe Stock)
ME survey shows support for transparent hospital prices, facility fee limits

A new survey reveals most Mainers support policies requiring medical providers to disclose their facility fees before they receive treatment…

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Consumer advocates say the growth of health care facility fees stems from an increasingly consolidated health care provider market, highly complex billing systems, and frequently inadequate health insurance coverage. (Adobe Stock)
Facility fees add to Mainers' growing concerns over medical debt

Maine lawmakers are calling for greater transparency in how hospitals and other health care centers charge so-called facility fees. A legislative …

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It is estimated that Mainers facing hunger would need a total of $97,584,000 more income per year to adequately meet their food needs, according to Feeding America. (Adobe Stock)
Maine food banks meet growing demand as Farm Bill lags

Food banks in Maine are struggling to keep up with demand as the Farm Bill remains stalled in Congress. The bill is renegotiated every five years …

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Latino children in Maine fare better than their peers nationwide, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation report. An estimated 70% of Latino children in Maine live in families with incomes at or above 200% of the poverty line, compared to 47% of Latino children nationally. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Report finds gaps in child well-being persist across Maine

Children of color in Maine fare relatively well compared to their peers nationwide, but gaps in child well-being persist - according to a new report…

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Twenty-seven states had a higher percentage of people with health insurance coverage in 2022 than in 2021. But Maine was the only state where the uninsured rate increased, up to 6.6% in 2022 from 5.7%, according to the Census Bureau. (Adobe Stock)<br />
Mainers get another chance at open enrollment for health coverage

Healthcare advocates in Maine say people who missed the most recent open enrollment deadline for healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act h…

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The price of Enbrel, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, has increased by 701% since coming to market in 1998, and the price of Januvia, used to treat diabetes, has increased by 275% since 2006, according to AARP. (Adobe Stock)
Mainers Celebrate First Step in Lowering Medicare Drug Prices

Hundreds of thousands of Mainers are expected to benefit from the Biden Administration's recent announcement that it will begin drug price negotiation…

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Mainers offered family insurance plans through their workplace that cost more than 9.12% of the total family income may qualify for more affordable healthcare coverage through the health insurance marketplace. (Adobe Stock)
MaineCare Recipients Urged to Update Forms to Ensure Coverage

Public health advocates are working to ensure Medicaid recipients in Maine continue to have health care coverage as pandemic-era policies have ended…

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Around 65% of rural counties in the United States do not have psychiatrists, and more than 60% of rural Americans live in areas lacking mental-health providers, according to the Journal of Clinical and Translational Sciences. (Adobe Stock)
Broadband Funds Could Improve Mental Health Care in Rural ME

Health care providers in Maine hope an influx of federal dollars to expand high-speed internet service will improve access to mental health care in Ma…

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Maine ranks first in the nation for having the lowest percentage of children in families where the head of household lacks a high school diploma, at 4%, compared to the national rate of 11%, according to a new report. (Adobe Stock) <br />
ME Parents Struggle with Lack of Affordable, Accessible Child Care

CLARIFICATION: Percentages of students' reading and math scores were clarified. (12:46 p.m. MDT, June 14, 2023) Maine ranks 12th in the nation on …

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47% of Mainers who have hospital-related medical debt are not aware that hospitals in Maine are required to provide medically-necessary care for free to residents who meet certain income guidelines. (Adobe Stock) <br />
Majority of Mainers Concerned with Medical Debt, Rising Healthcare Costs

Most Mainers believe they are one medical emergency or illness away from financial disaster, according to a new survey. The non-profit Consumers …

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Maine labor law allows tipped employees to be paid a lower cash wage than the standard minimum wage by their employers, as up to $5.50 in tips earned per hour can be deducted from their wage as a
ME Lawmakers Aim to Raise Minimum Wage to $24 by 2033

Maine lawmakers are considering legislation to raise the state's minimum wage to $24 an hour by 2033. The current minimum wage of $13.80 would jump …

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