BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today convened a discussion at People Plus in Brunswick to highlight how the proposed bill to replace the Affordable Care Act would hurt older, middle class Maine people by sharply driving up the amount of money they would have to pay for their healthcare coverage.

Senator King’s discussion today brought together officials from People Plus, an organization that supports Maine people as they age, AARP Maine, Consumers for Affordable Healthcare, and Mid Coast-Parkview Hospital, along with people who will be adversely impacted by the bill. It came shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives moved quickly today to advance the bill out of Committee, and just days after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office warned that it would strip 14 million people of their health insurance in 2017, 24 million by 2026, and also “substantially” raise premiums for older people.

            “I can’t see how this bill does anything but hurt older folks in Maine. It substantially reduces the federal support provided by the Affordable Care Act, which in turn raises their premiums and forces them to reach deeper into their pocket to pay for insurance. And meanwhile, higher-income people get a tax break. It’s a classic shift and shaft – and for a lot of older people in Maine, it means they’re not going to be able to afford health insurance anymore, have to go without, and hope they don’t get sick,” Senator King said. “As we heard today, this bill is going to do more harm than good, and I urge my colleagues to work together to make meaningful improvements to the Affordable Care Act, not abandon it altogether.”

According to estimates by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a 60-year old making $30,000 a year in Maine, depending on where they live, would see anywhere from a 48 percent reduction to a 70 percent reduction in the amount of federal support they receive for their health insurance. According to the estimates:

Senator King live-streamed the discussion via his Facebook page. To watch the archive, click HERE.

Senator King opposes the repeal of the ACA, which would strip health care away from tens of millions of Americans, including more than 75,000 in Maine. In January, Senator King offered five amendments to legislation that was under consideration by the Senate that would preserve critical facets of the ACA. He has also cosponsored an amendment that would stop efforts to dismantle the law, and he joined with several of his centrist colleagues in urging Senate leadership to discuss improvements to the law before rushing to fast-track a repeal of it.

Senator King has also expressed deep concern about the effects of repeal on hospitals in rural Maine. In December, he visited Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington, and in January, he visited Penobscot Valley Hospital and Bridgton Hospital where he was told that a repeal of the landmark health care law would leave a substantial amount of their patients without health insurance, which would have serious, and in some cases, catastrophic, financial ramifications for hospitals. If the hospitals closed, then not only would countless people in Maine go without vital health care services, but hospital employees would also be laid off, which would detrimentally affect their livelihoods and hurt the local economy.

Later today, Senator King will attend the Grand Opening of Flight Deck Brewing, located at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, and deliver remarks on growing the rural economy during the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony.

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