WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement in response to the Congressional Budget Office’s preliminary score of the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill:

“Today’s CBO report on the previous version of Graham-Cassidy does nothing to alleviate concerns raised in outside studies that the plan will hurt Maine people. The latest version – which the CBO will not score before the September 30^th deadline  – is merely an attempt to use small, short-term gains to hide the fact that Graham-Cassidy’s plan to cap Medicaid would have severe long-term consequences for Maine’s aging population and our rural hospitals, in addition to threatening affordable access to coverage for millions of Americans.  

“Rather than forcing through a healthcare bill to say it’s done, why not work together – Republicans and Democrats – and find a solution to fix the ACA? Before the Graham-Cassidy legislation, we were on a path towards a bipartisan agreement that would stabilize the marketplace and protect coverage for the millions who rely on the Affordable Care Act to obtain insurance. We should return to that bipartisan process, and use input from both sides and experts to craft a solution that will help achieve affordable access to healthcare for the American people.”

Independent studies from groups like the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities indicated that while Maine would see increased block grant funding under the Affordable Care Act portion of the bill, the implementation of a per-enrollee cap on Medicaid and a reduced inflation factor would result in the major loss of Medicaid funds and a loss of healthcare funds overall for the state.

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