The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram spent more than three months investigating the byzantine system of medical billing and insurance claims, an issue that is at the center of a high-stakes dispute between the state’s biggest hospital and its dominant health insurer. The newspaper spoke with dozens of patients who have had billing problems, reviewed their invoices and explanations of benefits, interviewed health care executives and consulted experts in the field. The reporting reveals a systemic nightmare that is not limited to any one medical provider or insurer but is pervasive across the landscape.

Press Herald health care reporter Joe Lawlor and Deputy Managing Editor John Richardson will talk more about this important issue.

On the panel:

(Photo by Yoon S. Byun/Staff Photographer)

Joe Lawlor writes about health and human services for the Press Herald. A 24-year newspaper veteran, Lawlor has worked in Ohio, Michigan and Virginia before relocating to Maine in 2013 to join the Press Herald. He is still considered “from away” but since then, he has learned what a “dooryard” is, eaten “whoopie pies” drank Moxie and boiled some “lobstahs.” The stories he enjoys most are when he learns something and meeting inspiring people.

John Richardson

John Richardson, Deputy Managing Editor, Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram

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