A new report shows that an estimated 105,000 Mainers could lose health insurance if the Supreme Court rules to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. The study from the Urban Institute estimates that a complete repeal of the ACA would triple Maine’s uninsured rate from 5% to 15%, which would be the largest jump of any state in the nation.
The Republican lawsuit, which will be heard by the Supreme Court one week after Election Day, was made possible by Senator Susan Collins’ vote on the tax bill. Trump’s legal team will argue that Collins "knowingly voted to destroy the health care law" by repealing the individual mandate as part of the 2017 tax giveaway.
But despite the potential fallout for Maine, Senator Collins still maintains that she does not regret her vote for the bill “at all,” and has even admitted that she and her Republican colleagues have no comprehensive plan to replace the ACA if it is eliminated by their lawsuit.
“Senator Collins has never been a champion for Mainers’ health care—but this shocking new study hammers home just how dangerous her voting record has been,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “Senator Collins had a choice: fight for Mainers’ health care, or support Mitch McConnell’s tax breaks for the richest Americans. She made the wrong decision, and now more than 100,000 Mainers are at risk of losing the health care they rely on. Once again, we see that Senator Collins can’t be trusted with our health care.”
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