Mainers sound alarm over skyrocketing insurance rates as Collins does nothing
Augusta, Maine – As Susan Collins refuses to do anything to extend the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits as the ACA marketplace’s Nov 1 open enrollment quickly approaches, Mainers are sounding the alarm about the hardship they’ll face due to the expected skyrocketing insurance rates.
Despite months of warnings from Mainers about the impact of rising costs and Maine state officials warning action had to be taken before September 30th, Collins “has yet to sponsor” any legislative move to extend the tax credits. She has instead voted numerous times against a bill that would protect more than 50,000 Mainers who are at risk of seeing their insurance premiums double, triple, or even quadruple when enhanced premium ACA tax credits expire.
See what everyday Mainers are saying:
WMTW: Concerns over health care premiums as Congress debates ACA
Karla Hussey of Old Orchard Beach said she doesn't qualify for MaineCare because she makes a little too much money, so she utilizes Cover ME for her life-saving heart medication.
"If I don't take this medication, I'll literally die," she said.
She said her monthly bill would be increasing from $20.11 to $1,038.
"$20 to $1,038 is impossible for someone like me," she said.
ABC’s Good Morning America 10/3/25
Transcript:
ABC’s Rachel Scott: Democrats digging in saying they won't fund the government until Republicans agree to reverse Medicaid cuts and extend expiring Obamacare subsidies so health insurance premiums don't go up for millions of Americans like Kristin Fuhrmann-Simmons in Maine who is battling MS.
ABC’s Rachel Scott: She says if the Obamacare subsidies expire, her premiums could go up 169%.
Mainer Kristin Fuhrmann-Simmons: We're really not sure what's gonna happen with that and really where we're going to find that money in our budget.
Mainer Kristin Fuhrmann-Simmons writing in the Portland Press Herald:
I never imagined I would be the person driving my father to and from his cancer treatments, prepping meals and coordinating round-the-clock care amidst the controlled chaos of the everyday life of a working family. But that carefully orchestrated dance became my reality after my father, an allergist and immunologist who once mentored me in his Kennebunk clinic, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a form of blood cancer.
Over the course of 14 years, in addition to being his daughter, I became his caregiver, advocate and constant companion through the ups and downs of cancer treatment. At the same time, I was raising two teenage daughters, teaching art and then ultimately managing my own autoimmune disease.
Through it all, the affordable health coverage made possible by the Affordable Care Act and supported by the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits that I relied on was the lifeline that kept me and my family going. Now that lifeline is at risk.
These tax credits have provided crucial support for Mainers like me, who don’t have access to health insurance through an employer or public program like MaineCare, or others who could not afford health insurance on their own.
New York Times: Why Obamacare Bills May Double Next Year
Julie Morringello, an artist in rural Maine, received a notice that her health care premiums could nearly double next year.
She now pays $460 a month for her Obamacare plan, but that amount is contingent on government subsidies that the Republican-controlled Congress may not extend.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Ms. Morringello, 58, said. Her insurance also covers her 14-year-old daughter, and forgoing a plan altogether isn’t an option because Ms. Morringello has a history of cancer and needs continuing care.
Portland Press Herald: Pressure is on to extend ACA subsidies as premium hikes loom
Lise Goddard recently launched her new career as a fabric and stained glass artist — a passion she says she could not have pursued without being able to purchase health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
Goddard, 54, of Sebago, said she’s watching to see whether Congress extends tax credits that were first approved in 2021 and help reduce the cost of insurance premiums, often by hundreds of dollars each month.
Bangor Daily News Editorial Board: Congress must act to keep health insurance affordable
Premiums for the many Mainers who buy their own health insurance will increase by nearly 24 percent next year, under rates approved by the state’s Bureau of Insurance last week. For thousands of these Mainers, the situation may get even worse. Enhanced tax credits that have helped make health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans are set to expire without action from Congress. For some, the cost of health insurance may nearly double.
Because of these huge price increases, the Congressional Budget Office predicts that nearly 4 million of Americans, many of them in Maine, will forgo health insurance without the tax credits. When insurance gets too expensive, people don’t buy it. They then put off care, often resulting in much more expensive treatment that they also can’t afford. The result is poorer health for the uninsured and, ultimately, higher costs for all of us.
To avoid a steep, but preventable, rise in the number of uninsured Americans, Congress must act quickly to extend the tax credits that have helped millions of people buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
For years, Boardman-Wallace had health insurance through her husband's work. When he became disabled a few years ago they lost coverage, so she took an additional job that offered insurance. But she left several months ago and returned to hairstyling to have more flexibility to care for her mother.
"Of course, being self employed, I don't have any benefits, so I looked to the Affordable Care Act," she said.
Boardman-Wallace said she was able to find a plan she could afford on her tight budget. It costs $160 a month.
Boardman-Wallace is worried that the cost of her health insurance could soon go up because enhanced premium tax credits that make it affordable are set to expire at the end of the year, and Congress hasn't included an extension in the budget bill.
Customers also weighed in during the virtual forum Friday. Megan Black, a nursing student living in Somerset County, called the potential rate increases for Anthem in particular “laughable.”
“Health insurance is the last thing we want to worry about, yet here we are,” she said.
Lindsay Clarke said she was a single mother of two children who is self-employed living in Cumberland County. She said annual premiums for herself and her kids add up to more than $15,000 a year, or 17% of her taxable income, and that’s without medication or specialized care.
“Every year I am left crossing my fingers that we won’t need any substantial care,” she said.
Carole Fontaine, 57, is self-employed and gets insurance through the Affordable Care Act. She said she is also a cancer survivor, and she is worried about continuing her treatment with increasing health insurance premiums.
“I cannot afford this,” she said. “It’s catastrophic.”
News Center Maine: Government shutdown drags on as fight over health care subsidies continues
Andrew Volk is worried about what will happen to his business and his employees if the tax credits aren't extended. Volk owns Portland Hunt and Alpine, a craft cocktail bar located right on Market Street.
When he started his business 11 years ago, healthcare through the marketplace was his safety net. He worked for many years in the service industry before the marketplace was created, and his previous jobs did not offer health insurance. He said that at one point, there was a six- to seven-year period when he didn't have health insurance.
Now, he has a private insurance plan that covers his family, and he offers healthcare benefits to his employees, covering half of the cost of their health insurance premiums. Volk said he's already seeing higher costs.
"If the ACA plans are going to go up, then of course the private insurance plans are going to go up," Volk said. "We're in the midst of our renewal process right now, and our rates are going up."
See more: Susan Collins Responsible for Skyrocketing Insurance Premiums as ACA Exchange “Window Shopping” Opens; What They’re Saying: Maine Democrats, Advocates Criticize Collins, “Warn [of] Health Care Increases” [Maine Morning Star]; ICYMI: Maine Dems, Health Care Leaders Call Out Collins for Failing To Protect Mainers’ Health Care; What Mainers are Watching and Reading: Thanks to Collins, Mainers “Could See Their Premiums Skyrocket”; Maine Beacon: Susan Collins accepts thousands from insurers while health costs soar for Mainers
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