Hundreds of state residents at a public hearing yesterday criticized the proposed transfer of thousands of people to a new insurance plan under an in-progress partnership between Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Portland, Maine-based MaineHealth, according to a Portland Press Herald report.
Anthem and MaineHealth — the state's largest health system — intend to form an insurance network including 32 of the state's 38 hospitals to offer coverage through the new exchange that will open this fall under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Maine Bureau of Insurance approved the proposed network in July. About 9,000 people would be transferred to the new plan under the pending collaboration, according to the report.
Many attendees at this week's hearing wore shirts provided by Lewiston-based
The agreement between MaineHealth and Anthem will limit access to care for tens of thousands of state residents, Central Maine Healthcare Vice President of Public Affairs Chuck Gill said earlier this year. Mr. Gill called the arrangement a "backroom deal" that would exclude other health systems.
The Bureau will hold a final hearing Sept. 9 for Anthem to discuss moving its current customer base into the proposed narrow-network plans.
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