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Maine Health Insurance Companies
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Maine Health Insurance Resources
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How to Get the Most Savings
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Maine Health Insurance FAQS
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How to Enroll in Health Insurance in Maine
Maine Health Insurance Companies
Maine has several affordable health insurance options. Three of the companies offering private health insurance in your state are:
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maine
Anthem Health Plan, also known as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maine, provides customers with a selection of HMO and POS plans. It’s one of Maine’s top health insurance providers for both treatment and preventive care.
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
You can receive care quickly and easily through Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, which offers a large network of medical facilities in Maine. This company offers a large variety of HMO and PPO plans on and off the exchange, and also has plenty of plans available with dental coverage already included.
Martin’s Point U.S Family Health Plan
Martin’s Point offers specialty care along with general medical services like lab, pharmacy, and radiology. They offer two types of plans, a Medicare Advantage plan, and an individual and family plan, with several types of plans available for each category.
Health Insurance Marketplace in Maine
If you’re looking for a health insurance plan in Maine, a great place to start is the health insurance Marketplace. Marketplace health insurance, which was created by the Affordable Care Act, offers certain consumer protections, guarantees coverage for pre-existing conditions, and includes coverage for what are known as the “10 essential health benefits”:
- Ambulatory patient services (outpatient care)
- Emergency services
- Hospitalization
- Pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care (both before and after birth)
- Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment (including counseling and psychotherapy)
- Prescription drugs
- Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices
- Laboratory services
- Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
- Pediatric services, including oral and vision care (but adult dental and vision coverage aren’t essential health benefits)
The ACA-compliant plans offered on the Marketplace are divided into the different types, known as metal tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. These tiers do not signal a difference in quality of care, though. The tiers differ in your out-of-pocket costs versus what your plan covers.
It’s important to remember that the Marketplace only offers the plans of participating providers. So unfortunately, while the Marketplace is a great tool, you may not be able to compare every plan available to you.
Whether you want a Marketplace plan, or a plan from a private insurer, an EZ agent can help. We work with all carriers in your state in order to compare all options available.
Over half of the uninsured in Maine who qualify for Marketplace insurance coverage could get a Bronze plan for FREE.
Maine’s Short Term Health Insurance Guidelines
If you’ve missed the health insurance Open Enrollment Period (OEP) or need health insurance for a short amount of time, short-term plans are a great option. It’s important to note, though, that these policies tend to only cover the basics, and you can be denied one of these plans if you have a pre-existing condition.
There are some rules around short-term plans, though, both at the federal and the state level. Some states choose to have their own guidelines separate from federal guidelines, or not offer short-term plans at all; Maine’s guidelines are similar to the federal guidelines with some key differences. Maine’s guidelines state that you can purchase a short-term plan for 364 days and renew once, giving you two years of coverage. But in 2020, Maine placed several new restrictions on these guidelines, one of which is that short-term plans can only be sold in person. As a result, there are currently no insurers that offer short-term plans in Maine.
Maine Health Insurance Resources
When it comes to purchasing health insurance, you can do so directly through an insurance company, or head to the Marketplace, as pointed out above. But there are other resources available. For example, you can talk to your employer to see if they offer a group plan. These plans are usually less expensive than individual plans.
Another approach is looking into government aid to see if you qualify for low-cost plans. You can get a low-cost Medicare plan if you are 65 or older or have a qualifying disability. Medicaid offers low-cost or free insurance plans for people with low incomes. But in order to be eligible for these plans, you must meet specific income criteria.
Another great resource is an insurance agent. EZ agents are able to compare all of your plan options quickly, so they can find a plan that fits you and your family’s needs.
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How to Get the Most Savings
Maine is 7th among the 50 states in terms of healthcare spending per capita, making it one of the states with the highest healthcare costs! The average annual cost of healthcare for a person in Maine is $11,505, so it’s important to find ways to cut costs on your health insurance.
When it comes to things you can do to lower your healthcare costs, you should first consider your health. Your health, especially your BMI, is one of the things health insurance carriers look at when determining your rates. So, if you’re among the 31.7% of people in Maine who are considered obese, you could be paying more for health insurance. If your body mass index (BMI) is excessively high or even too low, it may increase your premium, so a smart way to save money is to keep your BMI in the healthy range.
Insurance companies also consider smoking or other forms of tobacco use a big risk when it comes to insuring you. In fact, the premium for a smoker may be up to 50% higher than for a nonsmoker. 15.6% of people in Maine are smokers, so if you’re among them, consider quitting: in addition to saving money on tobacco products, quitting will also result in lower insurance (and healthcare) costs.
But there’s a way to save that’s even simpler! Work with an insurance agent, who can find local discounts that you might not be aware of. An EZ agent can also compare all of the plans available in your area, so you can get the one that best fits your budget. You could save hundreds of dollars a year on health insurance thanks to EZ’s agents! Not only that, but all of our services are free.
Maine Health Insurance FAQS
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Does Maine require you to have health insurance?
While the ACA technically still requires people to have health insurance, there is no longer a federal tax penalty for not having it. Some states, though, require that you have insurance, but Maine does not have any state laws requiring residents to have health insurance.
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What is the cheapest health insurance in Maine?
The cheapest health plan will be a Bronze plan, which can start as low as $348 a month. Remember, though, health insurance plan prices can vary depending on age, zip code, gender, and other factors.
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How much does health insurance cost in Maine?
The average monthly premium for health insurance in Maine is $439, or $5,268 per year, with plans as low as $348 a month to as high as $1,118. But many uninsured people in Maine qualify for a $0 Bronze plan and don’t even know it.
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Which insurers offer plans in Maine?
The top 3 insurers in your state are Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maine, Community Health Options, and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
How to Enroll in Health Insurance in Maine
You can sign up for a health insurance plan in Maine in a few different ways. One way is by heading to CoverMe, which is the state-run health insurance exchange for Maine. You can use its site to compare plans offered by participating carriers. Additionally, you can enroll on the website of your selected carrier.
Another choice is to sign up through your employer if they offer a group plan; it only involves selecting a plan and providing some details. And remember: an EZ agent can assist you whether you enroll through the exchange, directly through an insurance company, or through your employer!
Why work with an EZ agent? Our agents can help you compare plans, as well as find any discounts or programs you’re eligible for and answer all of your questions along the way. We will then guide you through the enrollment process step-by-step. It can be difficult to enroll in health insurance; let an EZ agent make the process easier for you, and help you get the coverage you need.
If you still have questions, feel free to give us a call at 877-670-3557. When you call, you will be directly connected to a local insurance agent who can answer all of your questions and help you find the health insurance plan that works best for you.
