RUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $521,000 to Western Maine Community Action (WMCA) to help Mainers navigate and enroll in health coverage options offered through the federally-facilitated marketplace under the Affordable Care Act.

“The Affordable Care Act has helped provide thousands of Mainers with access to high-quality, affordable health care,” Senator King said. “This grant funding will support Western Maine Community Action in its important mission to help people and their families across the state navigate their options and enroll in a health care plan that best suits their needs.”

WMCA serves as the lead for a state-wide consortium of eight community action agencies, collectively referred to as the WMCA Community Action Navigator Consortium. As a 2013 Navigator grantee, the organization funds were used to create a statewide network of education, outreach and enrollment assistance available and accessible to every uninsured and under-insured individual in Maine. Over the past two years, it has built on this foundation to continue targeting low and moderate income individuals, including young adults who are either under or un-insured.

Established in 1965, WMCA is a private non-profit community agency dedicated to the belief that people can help themselves when they have access to the appropriate resources, education, and support. The group’s mission is to advocate for, strengthen, and coordinate resources – private, local, state and federal – that will help people live independent and self-sufficient lives. Along with helping people find affordable health plans and navigate the insurance marketplace WMCA fulfills its mission by providing services to help people out of economic uncertainty and through advocacy aimed at changing the circumstances causing that uncertainty. 

In June, Senator King joined WMCA to celebrate the social service agency’s 50^th anniversary. Senator King delivered the keynote address, and in his remarks, thanked the staff, both past and present, for their half century of commitment to supporting the health and happiness of communities in western Maine.

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