I have lived over half of my life in Maine, and I consider myself lucky. I have always been employed and had health insurance through my employers. Because of this, I have never had to worry about paying for the health care my family needs. We have never experienced food insecurity or had to choose which bills to pay to make our budget work.
Unfortunately, we are the exception—and it’s about to get worse.
Recently, the Maine Bureau of Insurance approved a 23.9% rate increase for 71,000 Maine residents who get their coverage through the ACA marketplace. Additionally, there is a 17.5% increase for residents covered by small employers with fewer than 50 employees. These rate hikes are driven by multiple factors, including the rising cost of drugs and medical services, as well as the potential loss of premium tax credits at the end of the year.
I can’t turn away from the fact that many families may now have to choose whether to keep their insurance or not. They may have to decide if they can make do with less coverage—or none at all—and hope they don’t experience significant health issues.
This situation makes me wonder: will mothers still get the prenatal care they need? Will children see their primary care providers regularly to avoid long-term health problems?
And those are just my concerns for the coming year. What happens if we experience more rate increases and uninsured patients begin using the emergency room as their primary care?
Who pays for that, and how?
Can we really afford to let this happen in Maine—and across the country?
https://www.centralmaine.com/2025/10/31/distressed-by-maine-health-insurance-rate-hike-letter/
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