Medical Fees & Cost of Care
Billing and Repayment Plan
Below you'll find information to help you understand your bill. We're happy to answer any questions you have.
Pay Your Bill Online
We also provide patients with the ClearBalance® zero interest patient financing program. This is a patient-friendly payment option to help you pay your cost of service with MaineGeneral. The program is a zero-interest revolving credit account with flexible payment terms. Use the ClearBalance® program to manage your out-of-pocket expenses, including deductibles and insurance copayments, for care at any of the MaineGeneral facilities. Call us for more information: (207) 872-4680, option 3.
Revolving credit accounts are offered by Republic Bank & Trust, Member FDIC. ClearBalance is a registered service mark of CSI Financial Services, LLC, which provides certain account servicing functions for the bank.
MaineCare: Stay connected to stay covered
If you are a MaineCare member, MaineCare will be mailing you renewal information over the next 12 months. The envelope will have a large blue rectangle, so remember: “If it’s BLUE, it’s time to renew!” You must complete the renewal paperwork to be considered for continued eligibility for MaineCare health benefits.
If you have moved since 2020, please provide MaineCare with your current contact information by calling (855) 797-4357 and choosing option 1, or by going online to MyMaineConnection.gov. This way, MaineCare can reach you when it’s time for you to renew your coverage. Members can also update eligibility information on MyMaineConnection.gov – this may be a quicker and easier way for many members to complete renewal.
Price Estimates
Patients often find it helpful to know how much a procedure or test is going to cost before they have it done, especially if they do not have insurance and are self-paying for the procedure.
If you would like to know the cost of a procedure or test, please call (207) 872-4680 or toll free (877) 255-4680, option 5, or email us at price.estimates@mainegeneral.org. Our staff will be happy to assist you.
Cost of Medical Care
We're committed to being there when you need us. This means medical center services are provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The costs of operating on a 24-hour basis for the community are reflected in our hospital prices. It includes your occupancy, 24-hour professional nursing care, meals, linens and laundering, housekeeping, utilities, hospital maintenance and other needed services.
There are also additional charges for any special services you receive such as the use of the operating rooms, laboratory tests, radiology, physical therapy, medications and special supplies.
If you receive services from specialists, like surgeons, radiologists or anesthesiologists, you will receive a separate bill from them.
To receive an itemized bill, call toll free (877) 255-4680, and select option 6.
If you have any questions about your hospital bill, please call
(207) 872-4680 or toll free (877) 255-4680, option 4.
Facility Fees
MaineGeneral Medical Center is a Hospital-Based Facility and charges a facility fee for certain services provided in outpatient and medical practice settings.
A facility fee is charged to cover the operational expenses and is separate from the professional fees that are charged for the services provided by individual health care professionals at the hospital-based facility.
For more information about facility fees you may visit the Health Care Facility Fees page on the Maine Health Data Organization website.
New CMS Price Transparency Requirements
Since Jan. 1, 2021, each hospital in the United States has been required, by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), to provide publicly accessible standard charge information online about the items and services they provide in two ways:
- Comprehensive machine-readable file with all items and services
- Display of 300 shoppable services in a consumer-friendly format
To comply with the new requirements, MaineGeneral Medical Center worked with a vendor that specializes in this area to develop a website that includes both a customized EZCOST® Patient Out-of-Pocket Cost Estimate tool for 300 services and the machine-readable file.
EZCOST® is optimized to run in Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Please use one of these browsers for the best user experience.
Please note: This tool meets CMS requirements and is not intended to provide an estimate on the cost of your services. Please call the Price Estimate Line at (207) 872-4680 or toll-free (877) 255-4680, option 5, or email us at price.estimates@mainegeneral.org for an accurate out-of-pocket estimate.
MGMC Standard Charges EZCOST® Cost Estimate Tool
Healthcare Price Transparency for Group Health Plans
The Transparency in Coverage Final Rules require certain group health plans to disclose on a public website information regarding in-network provider rates and historical out-of-network allowed amounts and billed charges for covered items and services in separate machine-readable files (MRFs).
The MRFs for the benefit package options under the MaineGeneral Health Welfare Benefit Plan can be accessed on this website by entering MaineGeneral Health's nine-digit employer identification number (EIN): 04-3369649.
Please note: This tool meets CMS requirements and is not intended to provide an estimate on the cost of your services. Please call the Price Estimate Line at (207) 872-4680 or toll-free (877) 255-4680, option 5, or email us at price.estimates@mainegeneral.org for an accurate out-of-pocket estimate.
Insurances Accepted
MaineGeneral accepts most insurance plans, Medicare and MaineCare. Every insurance plan is unique, so please check with your insurance carrier (including Medicare) to find out what types of treatment your insurance will cover.
If you don't have insurance, we can help you apply for any available financial assistance. You may qualify for MaineGeneral's uncompensated care services program.
Free Care
If you can't afford to pay for your hospital care, MaineGeneral may be able to help. We can see if you qualify for full or partial free care through our free care program. Grants and other forms of help may also be available.
This program does not cover elective (optional) procedures.
To speak with a financial counselor, please call (207) 872-4680, option 3, or toll free (877) 255-4680, option 3.
Self-Pay and Prompt Payment Discounts
MaineGeneral Medical Center and its physician practices offer a "self-pay discount" for those who do not have insurance and are self-pay for their care.
Depending on where services are provided (medical center or physician practice site), the discount:
- Either will be automatically deducted from the billing statement before it is sent to the patient; or
- A notice about the availability of the discount will be included with the statement, directing patients to call MaineGeneral's Business Office to learn how to obtain it.
MaineGeneral also offers a "prompt payment discount" for self-pay balances, including balances after insurance and those for patients without insurance.
Please call (207) 872-4680 or toll-free 1 (877) 255-4680, option 4, to learn more about our payment discount options.
MaineGeneral Medical Center's Business Office
We are here to help if you have questions about your bill for:
- Alfond Center for Health
- Thayer Center for Health
- Family Medicine Institute
- Maine-Dartmouth Family Practice
- Four Seasons Family Practice
We're located on the second floor of the Hathaway Creative Center, 10 Water Street, Waterville.
Our staff is available by phone or in person from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, to assist with billing or collections questions, payment arrangements or to answer general questions.
Contact Us
- Main numbers: (207) 872-4680 or toll-free (877) 255-4680
- Payment: Option 2
- Financial Assistance: Option 3
- Billing Questions/ClearBalance®: Option 4
- Price Estimates: Option 5
- Itemized Bill/Care Costs: Option 6
