WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and healthcare assisters working to sign Maine people up for healthcare through the Affordable Care Act have received additional guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, telling them that people in Maine affected by October’s wind storm can sign up for coverage through December 31^st, and will not require any additional documentation to qualify. The new information provides an update to CMS Administrator Seema Verma’s response to Senator King’s request for an extension of open enrollment for affected areas of Maine.

“The October wind storm caused hundreds of thousands of Maine people to lose power just as the Open Enrollment period began,” Senator King said. “In what was already a shortened open enrollment period, those were valuable days during which many in Maine were not able to explore the different plans available or purchase coverage. I’m grateful to CMS and Administrator Verma for recognizing the hardship this posed to our state, and urge our state’s affected citizens to take advantage of this renewed opportunity to secure healthcare for 2018.”

Per Administrator Verma’s letter to Senator King, any resident of Maine who did not secure coverage by the end of the Open Enrollment Period and was affected by the wind storm should contact the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 to speak with a Marketplace representative.

The ACA’s Open Enrollment Period, which ended on December 15^th, had previously been shortened from 12 weeks to 6 weeks, and included a 12 hour shutdown of the Affordable Care Act website during most weekends. Earlier this year, Senator King hosted three events in South Portland, Lewiston and Bangor to highlight the importance of healthcare coverage to protect individuals and families from medical or financial trouble in the event of an unexpected injury or illness. He also sought to raise awareness of the shortened deadline, and the wide range of affordable plans that were available on the Marketplace.