AUGUSTA, Maine — MaineGeneral Medical Center is trimming 47 jobs in a cost-cutting move aimed at meeting its operating budget for the coming fiscal year.
The Augusta hospital said 15 jobs are being eliminated and 32 vacant positions won’t be filled.
President and CEO Chuck Hays told the Kennebec Journal the reduction affects both MaineGeneral Medical Center and its parent organization, MaineGeneral Health.
Earlier this month, Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor announced it was eliminating nine positions, several of which were vacant, because of budget pressures.
This is to be expected…most jobs in Maine don’t offer insurance. LePage is cutting Mainecare. People still get sick…no coverage means people go to the emergency room, hospitals have to write it off. It leads to cutting jobs.
I agree. There’s going to be a increase in the number of poor who will have no choice but to go to the ER. I just hope that future hospital cuts don’t become severe enough to put patients in danger. A hospital’s bottom line is always the almighty dollar.
And of course, people going to the ER is a tax on us all–but the GOP doesn’t get it, and they continue to block the human right to affordable medical treatment.
So true. I wish I could have “liked” your comment more than once.
Republicans know they are cost shifting these bills onto Maine’s working families. They just don’t care.
The big issue here is that healthcare costs is the ONE thing the government fails to regulate. Just recently all over the news are articles on the costs of removing appendix. Here is what one of them says: “Surgery to remove your appendix in one California hospital could cost $180,000. Have the operation at a different facility in the same state and the bill might be as little as $1,500.” To me this is a HUGE issue! If we established a cost system more people could afford maybe these hospitals wouldn’t be put in these positions. Instead they do as you say, if no one can afford it they all go to the ER for a write-off.
Your right except the hospitals do not write it off. They pass those costs on by raising our insurance rates.
It is a hidden tax and Paul Lepage is making it worse with his cost shifting policies.
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. When he was traveling all around the State in 2010 running for Governor Paul Richard LePage PROMISED that if we put our faith in him he would create JOBS, JOBS, JOBS for the people of Maine. So far what he has accomplished is to divide Maine people, insult us all by telling us we are nothing but a bunch of lazy bums who want to sit on the couch and collect welfare, are poorly educated and do not have skills. He has yet in almost a year and a half in office said one single solitary positive thing about Maine or her people. He has gone on national TV and told everyone that we have a poor work ethic and are a welfare State. Oh and the JOBS, JOBS, JOBS that he promised are disappearing from Maine. There are less jobs in our State today then the day LePage took office. People Above Politics. You betcha
And he is absolutely correct! I’ve never seen malingerers anywhere I’ve worked in this country like I have in Maine.
And this coming from someone who still thinks our President was born in Kenya.
You didn’t see the fine print during his campaign in all of them ads?
(Jobs will be created only if you are a member of my family, the rest of you, get off the couch and kiss my butt)
LOL as sad as that is it is true.
4mermainer I am surprised you haven’t gotten a call from Ben Grant, Emily Cain asking you to join the Maine Democrat Party to be their spokesperson. You have been spewing their talking points every time. You always attack LePage about JOBS. Though what was the Democrats doing in all of their nearly 40 years of control of the Legislature and nearly 50 years of controlling the Governors office. They did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!. That’s right they have been protecting the Lazy Useless Welfare Bums that have sit home and lived off of everyone including my tax dollars . While all of us are busting our butts going to work Monday-Friday and working hard for our money that continues to get redistributed to these stupid lazy useless bums. All I can say is Mainers have too much patience because they should be down in Augusta at the State House and at Democrat Party Headquaters revolting stopping business at both of these places. They should do like the Horse Racing & Penn National folks did when Baldacci and Democrats tried to do the same to these folks by wanting all of the money these folks got so the bums could have even More Lavish WELFARE BENEFITS. They revolted stopped business for a couple of days and were threatening to sue. Baldy and Liberals knew Maine people were outraged at what happened. They Liberals lost. If Maine Working Folks revolted in full force at Democrats the Libs would be in panic mode. Because who pays the bills it certainally is not these bums. You can spew the talking points. But the bottom line remains 40 years of Liberal Failure. Democrats including Emily Cain and Ben Grant have already stated they will create 3 new income tax brackets of 10.5 %, 12%, 14.5% , along with a sales tax increase to 6 or 7% will happen. If they get back control so they can give these useless bums more freebies.
You know Darkcat there are quite a few people who think that you are the one who is a shill for the radical right, but you have told me differently and I will take your word for that. What I don’t understand is why you think I would get a call from democrats. I have said negative things about Mike Michaud, negative things about Barack Obama, negative things about John Baldacci. I have actually said positive things about Paul Richard LePage. I praised him for getting the East Millinocket mill back online as well as him coming out against the way the non-profits who were running the job retraining programs were spending our money. You seem to think that just because I think Paul LePage is a lying boor that that some how makes me a shill for someone and that my friend just isn’t the case. I feel that as a Citizen of Maine and The United States that not only is it my right to question things politicians say and do it is also my responsibility. Now having said that Darkcat, why is it that you are constantly defending LePage? Why don’t you question him and his actions? Do you really feel that everything he has done and said is 100 percent right? If you do then I am really surprised, I would have thought you were more intelligent then that.
I never did understand why hospitals write off so many services people get. I mean, why don’t they set up payment arrangements with them? There were times in my life that I had no insurance coverage and I would make a payment arrangement with the hospital/doctor. Sometimes I could only pay $10.00 a month, but I kept paying until it was paid off. I would think that a hospital would be happier (and smarter) with a monthly payment (no matter how small) from a patient than writing it off.
I relocated to a southern state and I have to say that Maine is far behind in Public Health depts. Down here they have walk in public health clinics…you can walk in and get a physical for $40 cash regardless of your financial situation. The same is true of walk in visits. I’m not sure of the fees for those…but any child, no matter income of the family can get free immunizations on a walk in basis…no appointment needed. Nearly every town has a walk in clinic, or have one within easy driving distance.
“…but any child, no matter income of the family can get free immunizations on a walk in basis…”
Nothing is free. Somebody, somewhere is paying for this.
The state pays for it, yes, through taxes…but EVERY child in the state, regardless of family income, receives immunizations at no charge. That means not only children whose family is on welfare gets immunized at no charge, but so does the children of millionaires. It is open to ALL children. The local middle school also provides breakfast at no charge to EVERY child in the school 5 days a week.
The state doesn’t pay for it through taxes…taxpayers pay for it through taxes…So that means I paying for school lunch and vaccines for my kids AND for these other kids…and we wonder why freeloaders come to Maine…
It is not free lunch, it’s free breakfast…again…available to ALL children at the school, not just the poor ones. The immunizations are also available to ALL children and not just the poor ones. This is NOT in Maine…it is in a southern state. ALL people pay taxes…even poor people. Sales taxes and local taxes are paid by everyone, regardless of lot in life. The taxpayers in this area are the ones who voted for the free breakfast and the taxpayers support the free immunizations. Your whining about it is stupid, by the way. These are not just programs for the poor…they are for ALL families.
It would be nice if we had a governor who cared about the well being of all Mainers instead of just the slackers and the reproducers. Nothing was done to address those people’s MaineCare benefits during the DHHS budget fiasco. It was only the elderly and the truly needy that got screwed over.
It sure would be nice if there were public health clinics. Getting preventative care at a reasonable cost would significantly cut down on the amount of people (who have been thrown to the wolves by LePage and his lackeys) that end up getting so sick they have to go to the ER. Seems to me that hospitals would want to open clinics. It would probably cost them a lot less money to do that than it does to write off millions of dollars every year.
Hospitals are in business to make money, just like insurance companies with their marble buildings. The problem is there are too many couches in Maine according to our governor if you understand semantics of his language. I say make couches illegal people falling off couches could be the problem clogging up the emergency rooms, they are too comfortable so folks do not want to go to work, they could be taking drugs on those couches, and gay people use couches too . These could be new republican talking points, maybe i’m in the wrong party.
Not for profit hospitals are required to donate a certain percentage of care for the poor in order to keep their non-profit status. And it totals in the multi-millions in Maine. Unfortunately, hospital ER’s are not allowed to ask the obvious question of freeloaders: “What is the nature of your emergency?” So they get stuck seeing folks who have splinters, sprains, colds, etc and who just didn’t want to wait for a regular (MaineCare paid for ) appointment. Have you ever been to the ER and watched whole families socialize for hours on rainy days or snowy days? And then they have the gall to get mad and demanding because someone who just came in with a “real” emergency gets seen before they get seen! And way too many drug seekers in the ERs — someone stole some of my pills; my kid accidentally flushed my pills; my dog ate my pills, etc.
I agree. However, any time I’ve had to go to the ER the first question they ask you is what the nature of your emergency is. They have to see anyone who comes in no matter how stupid the reason is for their visit.
I know what you mean about some of the people in ER waiting rooms. I don’t mind waiting a little longer when someone with a dire emergency needs to be seen first, but when the wait so long that you grow cob webs because of the freeloaders and junkies clogging up the ER, it is infuriating.
True, and there are many people like you but that’s with a small bill. I’m fighting a serious illness right now, thankfully with company paid insurance backing me, and am running up bills that runs $25-$30K per month. At your $10/month those bills will never be paid. Do the math, even a $10,000 bill, which isn’t all that much, would take 83 years to pay off at $10/month. Even if the person lives long enough to pay it, no hospital is going to keep it on the books that long.
I was referring to a bill for an ER visit or a doctor’s office, not the cost of a condition that requires ongoing care. You are very fortunate to have health insurance. Good luck to you with your medical troubles.
More Maine jobs, Bye Bye. Say it isn’t so? LaBafoon lied to us again. LaBafoon destroys jobs not creates jobs.
Your first sentence says it all. And we all know love is blind. Just like die hard LePage supporters like yourself. I know you think that building a new , modern and up to date medical facility is a terrible waste. Are you one of the tea party folk who yells “let them die” when asked what to do with people without insurance? Of course you are aware that in order to expand the hospital the administrators first had to prove a need to the State. Gee maybe instead of listening to experts on medical care LePage should appoint someone with your vast experience and knowledge in the medical field to say when new facilities should be built. Oh by the way just where are all of those JOBS, JOBS, JOBS your lover boy LePage promised. I really liked how you put SUCKS A** in all caps it really shows us all the level of intelligence of people like you who blindly support a man who according to most is the most unpopular Governor in Maine’s history. Keep up the good work. I bet if you do a really really good job of blindly supporting LePage he might give you a chance to kiss his now famous butt.
Bravo! Well said. Your comment deserves a round of applause. I’m beginning to think the only job LePage will create (besides the ones given to those who share his DNA) will be the position of governor: when he isn’t re-elected.
Going forward anyone who runs for Governor, I will ask them and do some research to confirm if need be “Are you related to Paul Lepage”? If they say no, I am going to do some homework, if they say yes, I will make sure they don’t get my vote.
I wonder if the Bangor Daily News will actually do some real journalism and investigate/report the risks to Maine taxpayers in the financial arrangements to fund the new hospital? As usual, the alleged watchdogs are instead in bed with the perpetrators.
I couldn’t help but laugh at your first question…..real journalism? The Kennebec Journal has probably already started looking into this and the BDN will copy and paste a link for us in an unedited article in a few weeks.
A little known fact, hospitals are ruthless in collecting for there services. If you are poor, or have no health insurance, but happen maybe to own a house, or property, and you get sick and go to a ER, you could and probaly will have a lien placed on your property by the hospital. LaPage is going to cost Mainers their health and homes, which will reflect on the children. There is a war directed at the poor, in Maine, it is quiet, but watch municipal taxes being raised each year on real property, watch jobs disappear, watch basic services for the less fortunate disappear. Maine people are not lazy, we are just in the outer edge of the transportation loop, way up here, and most like living above Portlland, in the Downeast, or up in the County, and it is tough to get sick, have an ailment, it is tough to get a car inspected, there is some really tough times we get through, and nobody is going to help ya, no,and now our Governor giving most another kick in the teeth. Question, why not open a gun parts factory in Northern Maine, for jobs for us, instead of outsource our milityary guns parts from China?? Why do we not have the jobs to supply our own Military??