SOUTH PORTLAND, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) was joined by Maine people with pre-existing conditions, health care advocates and medical professionals in a conversation on protecting people with pre-existing conditions. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), people with pre-existing conditions are protected from either being denied health insurance or being priced out of the market, but a recent legal filing from the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it won’t defend the guarantee of ACA coverage for people with pre-existing conditions in court, which could lead to discrimination by insurance companies. The full discussion was livestreamed on the Senator’s Facebook page, and is available HERE.

“The patients, advocates and medical professionals at today’s meeting were outspoken, informed, and compelling,” said Senator King. “These Maine people were united by the fear of what could result from this disastrous DOJ decision, and by passion to fight for their lives and the lives of people in their community. Today’s discussion strengthened my belief that repealing the ACA’s protections for those with pre-existing conditions will make things a lot worse for a lot of people – especially in Maine. I’ll take these stories back to Washington, and share them with my colleagues as I continue pushing them to stand up for Americans living with pre-existing conditions.”

Senator King has been outspoken in opposition to Administration moves and legislative proposals that seek to undermine the Affordable Care Act. Last week, he released a video on his social media accounts criticizing the DOJ’s “downright cruel” decision. In October, he spoke on the Senate floor in advance of ACA Open Enrollment Period regarding the “sabotage” efforts underway from the Administration. At the same time, Senator King has pursued agreements that would improve the Affordable Care Act to protect coverage for the millions who rely on it for affordable health care, and has developed several proposals to make common sense fixes to the legislation. During the health care debate last summer, Senator King outlined a roadmap of health care priorities to stabilize the health care marketplace and lower the underlying costs of treatment and health coverage for people in Maine and across the country. He is a cosponsor of the bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murrary (D-Wash.) to stabilize the individual health insurance marketplace.