See what Mainers are saying about the ACA and ACA tax credits after Collins refused to extend ACA tax credits and has “voted over a dozen times to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act.”

Augusta, Maine — As Mainers face skyrocketing insurance rates as ACA tax credits expire, they are describing access to ACA marketplace and its tax credits as a lifeline that has allowed them to gain health insurance, start businesses, and maintain coverage amid life-threatening illnesses and cancer diagnoses.

Despite this, Susan Collins is continuing her record of threatening Mainers’ access to more affordable health care. Most recently, Collins refused to include an extension for ACA tax credits in the deal to reopen the government after repeatedly voting against a bill that would have extended the credits and calling ACA tax credits “poison pills.” And throughout her career, Collins has “voted over a dozen times to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act.”

Maine Democratic Party spokesperson Tommy Garcia:
“Tens of thousands of Mainers rely on the ACA and its tax credits to afford health care and yet Susan Collins is more committed to furthering the GOP agenda of repealing the ACA, jacking up health care costs, and putting insurance company priorities first than defending Mainers’ health and pocketbooks. Collins is to blame for skyrocketing insurance rates, and Mainers will hold her accountable for it in 2026.”

See what Mainers are saying about how the ACA and ACA tax credits have changed their lives:

  • Kristin Fuhrmann-Simmons of Kennebunkport: “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.

  • Penny Collins of New Gloucester “joined her husband’s independent engineering firm in 2021, giving up a career in human resources and the health benefits that came with it, to expand the family’s business. ‘We would have been very reluctant to make this leap without the ACA marketplace.’”

  • Bethany Allen of Bowdoinham: “The ACA has allowed us to recruit, hire and retain employees [...] It’s provided the equity and consistency that we need. It’s allowed us to grow our business.”

  • Ossian Riday of Topsham “originally delayed starting his own business because he was worried about insurance costs, and was only able to after the enhanced premium tax credits were put into place.”

  • Justin Levesque of Portland: “The ACA, being able to afford it, has changed my life. It has allowed me to follow my dreams and I’m really worried about the future.”

  • Briana Bononcini of Portland: “If it weren’t for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) I would not have been able to open two restaurants and create more than a dozen jobs. If not for ACA health care coverage, when I had a pregnancy complication that resulted in a $40,000 hospital bill, we would’ve gone bankrupt and been forced to shut down our first business six months in.”

  • Samantha Merrill of North Berwick: “I am a self-employed licensed clinical professional counselor and a lifelong resident of Maine. [...] Me and the ACA go way back to probably 2010-ish, when my husband at the time was a self-employed contractor. Obamacare came along and we were able to afford a comprehensive policy for our family and no longer needed to worry about pre-existing conditions or outrageous costs.”

  • Emily Ingwersen of Arundel: “I grew up in Maine, as did my husband, and we returned here to start a family and a business. We have Ginger Hill Design and Build, which is a small construction company based in Arundel. We have 2 kids and when the ACA was enacted, it enabled us to focus full-time on our growing business. Without it, we wouldn't have been able to purchase private health insurance due to preexisting conditions and the cost of premiums.”

  • Julie Morringello of Stonington: “When the ACA came along, it was an absolute godsend for me because my insurance, it's still an investment, but it became affordable and that was incredible. About 12 years ago during a routine checkup, which again is covered by the ACA, my doctor discovered a lump on my breast and I was diagnosed with early breast cancer. Thank goodness for that, because I wouldn't still be here. I got the treatment that I needed. Then, a couple of years ago I had another cancer diagnosis, unfortunately, but again, still on the ACA got the treatment that I needed. but I require continual care and it is very expensive.”

See more: What They’re Saying: “Small Business Owners in Maine Facing Huge Spikes in ACA Premiums”; What They’re Saying: Mainers Protest, Slam Collins for Not Extending ACA Tax Credits; ICYMI: Impacted Mainers Discuss Skyrocketing Insurance Rates After Collins Refused to Extend ACA Tax Credits; New Video: Collins Called ACA Tax Credit Extension a “Poison Pill”; MDP Statement on Susan Collins Refusing to Stave Off Skyrocketing Insurance Rates; What Mainers are Saying: “Susan Collins Refuses to Protect Our Health Care”; What They’re Watching: Mainers Share Personal Stories of How Skyrocketing Insurance Rates Will Impact Their Lives & Health; ICYMI: Impacted Mainers Discuss Skyrocketing Insurance Rates As Collins Refuses to Protect Mainers’ Health Care; What Mainers are Saying About Rising Insurance Premiums: “I am Scared,” “What Are We Going to Do,” People “Are Going to Die”

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