WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved Maine’s State Plan Amendments to expand Medicaid (MaineCare) under the Affordable Care Act:

“Life just got better for 70,000 Mainers,” said Senator King. “Medicaid is a lifeline for the most vulnerable members of our society, and now more Maine people in need will be able to access the high-quality healthcare they need to pursue happy, healthy, and productive lives. This long-overdue expansion is great news for the State of Maine. I will do everything I can in Washington to build on this work by defending the Affordable Care Act and fighting to maximize the Medicaid benefits Maine receives.”

Senator King is a cosponsor of the States Achieve Medicaid Expansion (SAME) Act, which would allow states like Maine that expanded Medicaid after 2014 or expand in the years ahead to receive the same full federal matching funds that the state would have received if it had expanded earlier under the terms of the Affordable Care Act. Under current law, Maine will receive federal funds to cover 90% of Medicaid expansion; under the SAME Act, a state that expanded Medicaid post-2014 would receive three years of full federal funding, phasing down to a 95 percent Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) in Year 4; a 94 percent federal contribution in Year 5; 93 percent in Year 6; and 90 percent for each year thereafter.

Senator King has been a vocal proponent of protecting and improving the Affordable Care Act, which has helped millions of Americans access healthcare. In July 2018, Senator King joined a group of his colleagues to introduce a resolution that would have authorized the Senate Legal Counsel to intervene in Texas v. United States, and in December 2018 he joined a group of Senate colleagues to call on President Trump to condemn the resulting decision in the case. He has also fought the Administration’s various attempts to sabotage the healthcare law, urged Maine people to sign up for health insurance during the shortened Open Enrollment period, and met with Maine people around the state to discuss the ACA’s importance to their lives