FAQ

Yes, as a courtesy, we will submit a claim to your insurance company. It is important that you provide accurate and complete insurance information at the time of registration to ensure that the claim process goes smoothly.

Yes, we will submit secondary claims on your behalf. Secondary claims are submitted after your primary claim has completed processing.

Northern Light Health will do everything possible to advance your claim.

Before your visit to a Northern Light Health hospital, contact your insurance company to verify your benefits and coverage. You may have network restrictions, co-payments, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket expenses. Also, not all services may be covered by your insurance plan.

The best way to find out if your insurance carrier participates with Northern Light Health is to call your insurance carrier.

Participating insurance carriers: not an all-inclusive list and is subject to change:

• Aetna US Healthcare
• Anthem Blue Cross
• Cigna Healthcare
• Community Health Options
• Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
• Humana
• Humana Military
• MaineCare / Medicaid
• Martin's Point
• Medicare
• United HealthCare
• WellCare
• VACCN

To speak to a specialist please call the number listed on your statement.

For electronic inquiries CLICK HERE.

Copayments (co-pay), coinsurance and deductibles are types of out-of-pocket costs for health care and the details vary by health plan.

Copayment (co-pay) is a fixed amount you pay for a covered health care service.

Deductible is an amount you could owe during a coverage period (usually one year) for covered health care services before your plan begins to pay. An overall deductible applies to all or almost all covered items and services. A plan may also have separate deductibles that apply to specific services or groups of services. (For example, if your deductible is $1000, your plan may apply a portion or all that amount towards your responsibility until it is met in full)

Coinsurance you share the costs of a covered health care service, calculated as a percentage of the insurances allowed amount for the service. (For example, if the health insurance or plan’s allowed amount for an office visit is $100, your coinsurance payment of 20% would be $20. The health insurance or plan pays the rest of the allowed amount, if no other copayment or deductible is required)

To speak to a specialist please call the number listed on your statement.

For electronic inquiries CLICK HERE.

In addition to your bill from Northern Light Health, you may receive bills from private practice physicians who may have provided services to you. For instance, you may receive bills from consulting physicians, radiologists, pathology laboratory or other specialists. Please contact their office directly if you have questions concerning their bills.

A hospital chargemaster is a comprehensive list of all services and items provided by a hospital or a hospital owned healthcare practice. A hospital chargemaster contains thousands of charges (including the cost of each procedure, service, supply, and pharmacy item, as well as room and board costs). The charge master includes all these items for all locations in a hospital or hospital owned healthcare practice.

The chargemaster is the same for all patients. The total charges that make up a bill for an individual patient may vary from one patient to another due to several variables.

Examples of variables that can affect charges:

• Time: The time required to perform a procedure varies for each patient, based on their overall health and specific needs. The amount of time needed to recover in the hospital may also vary between patients depending on their health and specific needs.
• Acuity: The level of care needed to treat a patient varies, based on their individual health, and needs.
• Medications: Medication requirements vary from patient to patient. Not all medications are effective for all patients, some people may have allergies, and dosage may vary based on weight and other patient needs.
• Health Conditions: Underlying health conditions differ from patient to patient. In order to ensure that all patients get the best care and have the best outcomes possible, all of the variables above may need to be adjusted

In situations where a patient does not have insurance or may be under-insured, patients may be eligible for financial assistance programs offered by Northern Light Health or for coverage through a program with MaineCare. These programs are designed to assist eligible patients with their healthcare bills.

Northern Light Health offers patient application assistance for coverage through public assistance programs, or hospital financial assistance programs that may cover all or some of unpaid medical bills. If you need assistance and would like help applying, please let us know. To learn more about these options, call one of the numbers below and speak with a financial counselor.

Northern Light Acadia Hospital 207-973-6065

Northern Light AR Gould Hospital 207-768-4099

Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital 207-374-3927

Northern Light CA Dean Hospital 207-695-9120

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center 207-275-0600

Northern Light Inland Hospital 207-861-6170

Northern Light Mercy Hospital 207-553-6209

Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital 207-487-4020

Available Monday through Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Charge information is not necessarily useful for consumer comparison shopping between hospitals. This is because often a procedure is comprised of numerous components from several different departments.

Using the specific CPT code for a service can give a more accurate charge estimate using the online estimator tool or by calling one of the financial counselors at our facilities. Our team will gladly assist you with creating an estimate. Patients can compare one hospital to another using the Compare Maine site at comparemaine.org.

The machine-readable files do not contain any information specifically related to a patient’s out of pocket costs for treatment.

• Actual out-of-pocket cost, including copays or deductible amounts, vary depending on the health insurance policy selected and the associated plan benefits related to the specific treatment.
• The machine-readable files do not guarantee coverage of the services by your insurance company.

Differences exist in the prices that hospitals set for procedures and services. because of the many pieces that make these services possible services. Some hospitals have higher cost structures due to the complexity of the services provided such as trauma, transplant, or neonatal intensive care

Most contracts at Northern Light Health are made with an insurance company for all the products sold by that company in our market. We have different calculations for Medicare Advantage plans because while we participate with the insurance company, Medicare Advantage plans have different agreed upon rates.

When a value in a cell is larger than the column width, excel fills the cell with ###. The column can be expanded by dragging the bar separating the column headers to the right until the ### disappear and the number is visible.

Not all charges are reimbursed by every insurance company. Centers for Medicare Services (CMS) provided guidance that rather than use blanks or 0.00, providers should populate the rate with NA for Not Applicable.

By completing our application for financial assistance and providing all required supporting documentation regarding household income and dependents.

Yes, applicants must report their monthly household income including but not limited to wages, self-employment, Social Security, retirement, worker’s compensation, etc.

Yes, but this information is not used as part of the financial assistance application process, it will be used to determine eligibility for other sources of payment (e.g., MaineCare eligibility)

Please send completed applications and required supporting documentation as noted below:

Northern Light Mercy Hospital
40 Park Road,
Westbrook, ME 04092

1-800-293-6583 or 207-553-6209

Northern Light Inland Hospital
200 Kennedy Memorial Drive
Waterville, ME 04901

207-861-3055

Northern Light Acadia Hospital, Northern Light AR Gould Hospital, Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital, Northern Light CA Dean Hospital, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital, Northern Light Mayo Hospital, Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital

Northern Light Health
Cianchette Building,
43 Whiting Hill Rd
Brewer, ME 04412

1-866-750-5001 or 207-973-5000

A letter will be mailed explaining what documentation is missing/required to complete the application. Documentation needs to be provided within 30 days or the application will be denied.

It is important to include all required documentation at time of submission.

No, if an application is approved, you will be eligible for assistance at each of our Northern Light Health hospitals. Your completed application will be shared among these hospitals only as permitted or required by law.

Accounts will only be eligible for assistance if the date of the financial assistance application is within 240 days of the date of the first statement on each account in question.

Marketplace eligibility

Visit HealthCare.gov for more information.

Commerce Bank

Northern Light Health has partnered with the bank to offer Health Services Financing or HSF®. A program that allows patients to pay out-of-pocket balances over time with a zero annual percentage rate and there is no credit check required.

Visit our Health Services Financing page for details and application.

In-House Payment Plans

Northern Light Health offers payment plans up to 6 months with a minimum payment of $25.00 per month and for balances greater than $50K. To connect with a Patient Support Specialist, please call the applicable number below.

For services received at: Acadia, AR Gould, Blue Hill, CA Dean, EMMC, Inland, MCH, Mercy or SVH, call 207-973-5000 or toll free at 1-866-750-5001

For services received at: Mayo, call 1-207-564-4301

If you are claimed as a dependent on someone’s tax return, you may be asked to provide information regarding their level of support.