BAR MILLS, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) visited Leavitt’s Mill Free Health Center in Bar Mills. The Center was established fifteen years ago and provides free healthcare services to Maine people with no health insurance, with funding coming through private fundraising and grants. During his visit, Senator King met with the Center’s leaders and patients to discuss the barriers to accessing health care, including the Administration’s recent efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

“Today’s visit left me both inspired and disheartened – inspired to see Maine community leaders stepping up to fill a local need, and disheartened to see just how many people in York County have fallen through the cracks of our healthcare system,” said Senator King. “Unfortunately, this problem will get worse before it gets better, as the Administration’s continued efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act have made health insurance more expensive and harder to access for many Maine people. The volunteers at Leavitt’s Mill are stepping up to fill in the gaps, but not every community is so fortunate; this is why Congress must not only defend the ACA, but find ways to improve it to ensure our healthcare system works for all Americans.”

Senator King has been outspoken in opposition to Administration moves and legislative proposals that seek to undermine the Affordable Care Act, and earlier this week announced his support for a resolution that would authorize the Senate Legal Counsel to intervene in a legal case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) provisions protecting people with pre-existing conditions. Earlier this month he published a post on Medium highlighting the Administration’s efforts to weaken the ACA. Last month, he hosted a conversation with Maine people with pre-existing conditions, health care advocates and medical professionals focused on the importance of these protections, and 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.