PORTLAND, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) joined healthcare advocates and patients to urge Maine people to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act before the ACA’s Open Enrollment deadline on Saturday. The press conference at Greater Portland Health highlighted the resources available to Maine people as they navigate coverage options offered through the ACA Marketplace, and emphasized the upcoming deadline. To sign up for coverage in 2019 during the Open Enrollment period, log on to http://www.healthcare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 for more information before December 15, 2018. Maine people interested in additional information can also call the Consumers for Affordable Health Care, toll-free, at 1-800-965-7476, or reach out to your local Federally Qualified Health Center.

“Saturday is the last day to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. That’s less than a week to make sure you and your family can have health insurance in 2019,” said Senator King. “There are a wide range of options in the marketplace, and some may be less expensive than you think. This isn’t about politics – it’s about making sure you can protect your family from medical or financial trouble. With only a few days left, there’s no time to wait – so please, sign up today.”

In addition to Senator King, speakers at today’s event included Kate Ende, Consumer Assistance Program Manager at Consumers for Affordable Healthcare; Kalie Hess, Health Equity Program Manager for the Maine Primary Care Association; Hillary Barter, Healthcare Navigator Coordinator for Western Maine Community Action; and Nicole Manganelli of Portland, who recently signed up for ACA coverage.

Senator King has been outspoken in opposition to administration moves and legislative proposals that seek to undermine the Affordable Care Act, and has met with Maine people around the state to discuss the ACA’s importance to their lives. In October, he met with Maine people in recovery in Brewer to discuss the importance of ACA protections for those with pre-existing conditions for those who have struggled with substance use disorders. Also in October, Senator King voted to overturn the administration’s expansion of junk plans, calling the plans that are not required to cover those with pre-existing conditions, “part of the problem, not part of the solution.” In September, he spoke at the Protect Our Care rally in Portland and held a conversation in Damariscotta on the importance of healthcare protections to Maine people who work in high risk industries. Also in September, Senator King met with seniors in Kennebunk to discuss the high cost of healthcare services in prescription drugs.

In August, Senator King met with Maine families on the impact of insurance protections for children living with pre-existing conditions. In July he cosponsored a resolution that would authorize the Senate Legal Counsel to intervene in the legal case challenging the constitutionality of the ACA’s provisions protecting people with pre-existing conditions. Also in July, he published a post on Medium highlighting the administration’s efforts to weaken the ACA. At the end of June, Senator King spoke twice Senate floor about the impact of ACA sabotage on Maine people and to honor the 53rd anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, and earlier that month, he spoke with a panel of Maine people with pre-existing conditions, healthcare advocates and medical professionals in South Portland, following Department of Justice’s decision not to defend the guarantee of coverage for pre-existing conditions.