Census Reporting Finds Maine Led the Country In Reducing Rates of Uninsured Residents.

A recent U.S. Census report found that the percentage of Maine residents without health insurance dropped from 8 percent to 5.7 percent over three years, making Maine’s uninsured rate about half what it was a decade ago.

The decline in uninsured Mainers has been primarily attributed to state lawmakers’ work to expand Medicaid eligibility expansion in 2019.

Maine went from having the nation’s 26th-lowest uninsured rate in 2019 (8 percent) to 14th in 2021 (5.7 percent). It represents the steepest drop in uninsured residents of any state in the country. As Governor Mills recently said:

“Having health insurance saves lives. That’s why since my first day in office, I have fought to make healthcare more accessible and more affordable for all Maine people. This report shows we are succeeding.”

In recent years, Maine leaders have passed legislation to help expand healthcare access for Mainers across the state.

In 2020 they passed the Made for Maine Health Coverage Act to simplify access to health insurance for individuals and small businesses while also reducing or eliminating costs for common health visits.

In 2021, Maine established CoverME.gov – a statewide health insurance marketplace which allows people to compare and choose from plans uniquely designed for Mainers.

This new census report confirms that our state is moving in the right direction. Mainers for Working Families commends our leaders in Augusta for their continued efforts to make healthcare more accessible and affordable to everyday Mainers.

Maine Small Businesses To See Decreased Health Insurance Premiums Next Year.

For the first time since 2001, Maine’s small businesses can expect to see decreased health insurance premiums under a new law proposed by Governor Janet Mills and passed by the Maine Legislature.

The Made for Maine Health Coverage Act leverages federal funds to help make premiums less costly for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. Those businesses can expect an average decline of 0.8 percent in health insurance costs in 2023 thanks to this legislation.

This is great news for the approximately 52,000 working Mainers who get their health insurance through their employers in the small group market. As Governor Mills recently said:

“This is a victory for many Maine small businesses and their hardworking employees who rely on the small-group market for health insurance, and it couldn’t come at a better time. As Maine small businesses grapple with high costs from inflation, this is one less thing they will have to worry about.”

The new law is the latest addition to a series of bills designed to make affordable healthcare more accessible to everyday Mainers.

Last session lawmakers passed LD 1778, which directs the Office of Affordable Health to study barriers to affordable healthcare and ways to expand coverage for families and small businesses.

The Legislature also passed LD 1390 to help the state identify people without health insurance who may be eligible for MaineCare or a health plan in the Maine Health Insurance Marketplace (CoverME), by asking about health insurance status on state income tax forms.

Thanks to our leaders in Augusta, more and more Mainers are gaining access to affordable healthcare. We hope to see more progress in the near future as our elected officials continue to work towards meeting the needs of our working families.

Here’s How Mainers Stand To Benefit From Student Loan Forgiveness.

The Biden Administration recently announced a proposal to forgive up to $20,000 of federal student loans for graduates across the country.

That proposal would affect thousands of Maine students making less than $125,000 as an individual or $250,000 as a married couple.

This much needed assistance bolsters existing state-specific loan forgiveness programs that Maine’s lawmakers have already enacted for certain qualified graduates. Among them are teachers certified by the Maine Department of Education, certain Maine health professionals, and some students who choose to live in Maine upon graduation.

Reducing the strain that excessive student debt puts on our state’s economy has been an ongoing effort by Maine’s legislators. Earlier this year, Senator Chip Curry proposed “An Act To Promote Home Ownership by Reducing Education Debt” – a bill designed to forgive up to $40,000 of loans for first time home buyers. The Maine Senate approved the legislation and sent it to the House of Representatives for consideration.

There is no doubt that more work needs to be done to solve this issue. Every person should have the opportunity to attain higher education without experiencing the crushing weight of student debt. Mainers For Working Families applauds our leaders for continuing to work towards providing more relief to Maine’s graduates.