Residents have expressed concern about changes proposed to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Following concerns that have been expressed by residents of Maine regarding changes that have been proposed to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance, a hearing was scheduled for this week to allow them the opportunity to speak and have their voices heard.
On Monday, the hearing was held at the Cross State Office Building, located in Augusta.
The health insurance hearing was held by the Bureau of Insurance. It took place in Augusta and was focused specifically on the coverage proposal which would make a transfer of the individual policy holders into a MaineHealth providers network.
The health insurance partnership between Anthem and MaineHealth does not include six hospitals.
Among the concerns that were expressed were regarding the fact that the partnership that has been formed between Anthem and MaineHealth would not include six of the hospitals located in the state. Among them include Parkview Adventist Medical Center, which is located in Brunswick, as well as Central Maine Medical Center and Bridgton Hospital, which are both located in Lewiston.
What this means to some of those individuals health insurance policy holders is that they would no longer be able to go to those hospitals in order to receive care from their doctors. According to some of the opponents who spoke at the hearing, this would require these patients to have to drive a much longer distance in able to seek out the care that would otherwise be available to them more locally. This could be more costly for those policy holders, as they will need to pay greater transportation expenses, and may involve a much longer wait before care can be obtained when needed.
Since the health insurance policy transfer proposal was first made, the bureau has held a number of other hearings throughout the state. These have managed to attract hundreds of Maine residents, as they seek out this opportunity to voice the concerns that they have over the implications that could be associated with carrying out the transfer of their policies to MaineHealth. That said, any final decisions based on the concerns that have been expressed have yet to be made.