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Dirigo Health
The Dirigo Health Agency (sometimes known simply as Dirigo Health) was a government agency run by the state of Maine in the United States. It oversees the state's subsidized health insurance program, DirigoChoice. The program was launched in 2005, and takes its name from the state motto of Maine, ''Dirigo'', which is a Latin phrase meaning "I Lead." The program ended December 31, 2013 with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare). Origins Dirigo Health was created as part of Maine Public Law 469, also known as the Dirigo Health Reform Act. It was originally presented to the Maine Legislature by Governor John Baldacci in May 2003 and became law in June 2003. The law is a comprehensive reform of the state's health care system, addressing cost, quality and access. Along with DirigoChoice, it created the Maine Quality Forum, a state health plan and put forth measures to reduce the growth of health care costs in Maine, including asking hospitals to volunta ...
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Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and northwest, respectively. The largest state by total area in New England, Maine is the 12th-smallest by area, the 9th-least populous, the 13th-least densely populated, and the most rural of the 50 U.S. states. It is also the northeasternmost among the contiguous United States, the northernmost state east of the Great Lakes, the only state whose name consists of a single syllable, and the only state to border exactly one other U.S. state. Approximately half the area of Maine lies on each side of the 45th parallel north in latitude. The most populous city in Maine is Portland, while its capital is Augusta. Maine has traditionally been known for its jagged, rocky Atlantic Ocean and bayshore coastlines; smoothly contoured mountains; heavily f ...
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Medicaid
Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and personal care services. The main difference between the two programs is that Medicaid covers healthcare costs for people with low incomes while Medicare provides health coverage for the elderly. There are also dual health plans for people who have both Medicaid and Medicare. The Health Insurance Association of America describes Medicaid as "a government insurance program for persons of all ages whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for health care." Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States, providing free health insurance to 74 million low-income and disabled people (23% of Americans) as of 2017, as well as paying for half of all U.S. births i ...
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Health Departments In The United States
Government departments responsible for health issues and health services in the United States exist at federal, state and local levels. The first, at city level, were founded in the late 18th century; now many operate at city or county level. State-level work began in the mid-19th century, now every state has one. The federal agency now known as the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS or Health Department) originated in 1939. Local Local health departments in the United States were the first health departments in the United States. There is some dispute at the local level as to the claim of being the first to establish a local board or health department. At least four cities claim to be the first health department in the United States. The city of Yakima, WA claims to be the oldest in the nation, established in 1911, the city of Petersburg, Virginia, claims it established the first permanent board of health in 1780. The city of Baltimore, Maryland, claims ...
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Medicare And Medicaid (United States)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and health insurance portability standards. In addition to these programs, CMS has other responsibilities, including the administrative simplification standards from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), quality standards in long-term care facilities (more commonly referred to as nursing homes) through its survey and certification process, clinical laboratory quality standards under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, and oversight of HealthCare.gov. CMS was previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) until 2001. CMS actively inspects and reports on every nursing home in the United States. This includes maintaini ...
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State Agencies Of Maine
State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our State'', a monthly magazine published in North Carolina and formerly called ''The State'' * The State (Larry Niven), a fictional future government in three novels by Larry Niven Music Groups and labels * States Records, an American record label * The State (band), Australian band previously known as the Cutters Albums * ''State'' (album), a 2013 album by Todd Rundgren * ''States'' (album), a 2013 album by the Paper Kites * ''States'', a 1991 album by Klinik * ''The State'' (album), a 1999 album by Nickelback Television * ''The State'' (American TV series), 1993 * ''The State'' (British TV series), 2017 Other * The State (comedy troupe), an American comedy troupe Law and politics * State (polity), a centralized political organization ...
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Comprehensive Health Insurance (Maine)
In June 2003, the Maine, US Legislature passed a comprehensive health insurance plan, granting low-cost coverage to all state residents by 2009.New York Times''Maine Lawmakers Approve Plan For Universal Health Coverage''(June 14, 2003). The law stated that a semi-private agency would provide coverage to uninsured residents, small businesses, municipalities, and the self-employed. Premiums were set at a sliding scale, where individuals making below $27,000 and families making below $55,000 would be eligible for reduced rates, and the law called for the creation of a watchdog group to monitor hospital and doctor costs. The bill passed the Maine House of Representatives 105 to 38, and the Maine Senate 25 to 8. Impacts About 15,000 of the 140,000 uninsured have been covered by the program. The original project goals were to pay for the program with savings from reducing inefficiencies in the existing system and not raise taxes, while providing insurance to 140,000 people. Another goal w ...
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Anthem (company)
Elevance Health, Inc. is an American health insurance provider. The company's services include medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care, and disability plans through affiliated companies such as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Empire BlueCross BlueShield in New York State, Anthem Blue Cross in California, Wellpoint, and Carelon. It is the largest for-profit managed health care company in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. As of 2022, the company had 46.8 million members within their affiliated companies' health plans. Prior to June 2022, Elevance Health was named Anthem, Inc. Based on its 2021 revenues, the company ranked 20th on the 2022 Fortune 500. History Anthem In 1946, Anthem began in Indianapolis, Indiana, as Mutual Hospital Insurance Inc. and Mutual Medical Insurance Inc. The companies grew significantly, controlling 80% of the medical insurance market in Indiana by the 1970s. In 1972, The two firms, then known as Blue Cross of Indian ...
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Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is a non-profit health services company based in Canton, Massachusetts serving the New England region of the United States. On August 14, 2019, the boards of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan announced plans for the two insurers to merge their organizations into a new company. The new company serves 2.4 million members in Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. The merger completed on January 1, 2021, making the then unnamed company the second largest health insurer in Massachusetts. On June 15, 2021, the new name of the parent company was announced as Point32Health, named for the 32 points on a compass. Overview Harvard Pilgrim Health Care was formed in 1994 from the merger of the Harvard Community Health Plan (HCHP) and the Pilgrim Health Plan. Harvard Community Health Plan had been founded in 1969. One of its founders was Maurice Lazarus. Harvard Pilgrim is home to the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Instit ...
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Health Care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health professionals and allied health fields. Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, midwifery, nursing, optometry, audiology, psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, athletic training, and other health professions all constitute health care. It includes work done in providing primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care, as well as in public health. Access to health care may vary across countries, communities, and individuals, influenced by social and economic conditions as well as health policies. Providing health care services means "the timely use of personal health services to achieve the best possible health outcomes". Factors to consider in terms of health care access include financial limitations (such as insurance coverage), geo ...
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Subsidy
A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the term subsidy can relate to any type of support – for example from NGOs or as implicit subsidies. Subsidies come in various forms including: direct (cash grants, interest-free loans) and indirect (tax breaks, insurance, low-interest loans, accelerated depreciation, rent rebates). Furthermore, they can be broad or narrow, legal or illegal, ethical or unethical. The most common forms of subsidies are those to the producer or the consumer. Producer/production subsidies ensure producers are better off by either supplying market price support, direct support, or payments to factors of production. Consumer/consumption subsidies commonly reduce the price of goods and services to the consumer. For example, in the US at one time it was cheaper to buy ...
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Health Care System
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, Mental health, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organization''– ''Basic Documents'', Forty-fifth edition, Supplement, October 2006. A variety of definitions have been used for different purposes over time. Health can be promoted by encouraging healthful activities, such as regular physical exercise and adequate sleep, and by reducing or avoiding unhealthful activities or situations, such as smoking or excessive Stress (biology), stress. Some factors affecting health are due to Agency (sociology), individual choices, such as whether to engage in a high-risk behavior, while others are due to Social structure, structural causes, such as whether the society is arranged in a way that makes it easier or harder for people to get necessary healthcare services. Still, other factors are be ...
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Health Care Reform
Health care reform is for the most part governmental policy that affects health care delivery in a given place. Health care reform typically attempts to: * Broaden the population that receives health care coverage through either public sector insurance programs or private sector insurance companies * Expand the array of health care providers consumers may choose among * Improve the access to health care specialists * Improve the quality of health care * Give more care to citizens * Decrease the cost of health care United States In the United States, the debate regarding health care reform includes questions of a right to health care, access, fairness, sustainability, quality and amounts spent by government. The mixed public-private health care system in the United States is the most expensive in the world, with health care costing more per person than in any other nation, and a greater portion of gross domestic product (GDP) is spent on it than in any other United Nations member s ...
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