Health Insurance Plan Information

The State employee health plan has recently updated the preferred hospital list based upon the Maine Health Management Coalition hospital ratings http://www.mhmc.info . Hospitals that are awarded Blue Ribbons for both Patient Safety and Select Clinical Quality are considered preferred hospitals under the State employee health plan. This e-mail serves to announce the preferred hospital list effective February 1, 2009. The preferred hospitals are:

The Aroostook Medical Center (Presque Isle)
Blue Hill Memorial Hospital
Calais Regional Hospital
Cary Medical Center (Caribou)
Central Maine Medical Center (Lewiston)
Down East Community Hospital (Machias)
Eastern Maine Medical Center (Bangor)
Franklin Memorial Hospital (Farmington)
Goodall Hospital (Sanford)
Inland Hospital (Waterville)
Maine Coast Memorial Hospital (Ellsworth)
Maine Medical Center (Portland)
Mayo Regional Hospital (Dover-Foxcroft)
Mercy Hospital (Portland)
Mid Coast Hospital (Brunswick)
Miles Memorial Hospital (Damariscotta)
Millinocket Regional Hospital
Mt. Dessert Island Hospital (Bar Harbor)
Northern Maine Medical Center (Fort Kent)
Penobscot Bay Medical Center (Rockport)
Penobscot Valley Hospital (Lincoln)
Sebasticook Valley Hospital (Pittsfield)
Southern Maine Medical Center (Biddeford)
St. Joseph Hospital (Bangor)
St. Mary's Regional Medical Center (Lewiston)
Stephens Memorial Hospital (Norway)
Waldo County General Hospital (Belfast)
York Hospital

Members will continue to be able to receive care from all Maine hospitals. Under the State Health Plan, inpatient admissions will require a $100 per day co-pay ($300 calendar year maximum) and outpatient surgery will require a $50 co-pay. Both these co-pays are waived if the admission or the outpatient surgery is provided by a preferred hospital. A $50 co-pay for high tech imaging (MRI, CT Scan, PET Scan, SPECT and nuclear cardiology) will apply to all facilities.

The preferred hospital list will be updated again effective August 1, 2009.

Reminder: Colonoscopies and mammograms are fully covered regardless of which hospital you may go to. There is no deductible or copayment for these screening services. These are valuable tests that can detect potential problems early when treatment is more effective. We urge you to follow your doctor's recommendations and have these routine tests when scheduled.