Insurance-free clinics grow in Maine amid frustration with health systems

Insurance-free clinics grow in Maine amid frustration with health systems

As the biggest health care organization serving eastern and northern Maine continues to reel from financial challenges, some of its employees are striking out on their own. Two pairs of former Northern Light Health nurses have opened independent clinics this summer using a model called direct primary care that’s growing in popularity in Maine and beyond. They take smaller patient loads for a flat monthly fee instead of billing insurance, and off…