{"id":1619,"date":"2025-11-20T14:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T19:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mainepeoplesalliance.org\/?p=1619"},"modified":"2025-11-20T14:05:01","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T19:05:01","slug":"mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mainepeoplesalliance.org\/mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"Mainers give Collins the bill for skyrocketing health insurance costs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">November 20, 2025<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Maine health care advocates and people concerned about losing care visited Collins\u2019 district offices in Augusta, Bangor, Biddeford, Caribou, Lewiston and Portland to urge her to vote yes on reinstating ACA tax credits.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photos of the event:\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/drive\/folders\/1Q15FalRitkWNnJPMIjr_8DoEFDPxWy2D?usp=sharing&amp;link_id=1&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Susan Collins ACA Bill Delivery Event &#8211; November 2025<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From Biddeford to Caribou, Mainers concerned about losing health care visited Sen. Susan Collins\u2019 offices today to give her a bill for $100 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That amount is a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/governor\/mills\/sites\/maine.gov.governor.mills\/files\/inline-files\/9.4.25_EPTC%20Governor%20Mills%20ltr%20to%20delegation.pdf?link_id=2&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">low estimate<\/a>\u00a0of the amount Mainers\u2019 health care costs will likely increase because Republicans in Congress failed to extend the enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs) that have made purchasing health insurance possible for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jec.senate.gov\/public\/_cache\/files\/1ef7782a-f4d2-4b62-9f83-869384e3edeb\/updated-jec-fact-sheet-on-state-by-state-impacts-of-health-care-cuts.pdf?link_id=3&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tens of thousands<\/a>\u00a0of Mainers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They urged Sen. Collins to vote \u201cyes\u201d on reinstating ePTCs when the question comes before Congress (expected before the end of the year).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carie Bernard (she\/her), a self-employed health care provider in Portland, has a serious, genetic health condition and needs frequent MRIs, hearing tests, and neurology consults. Bernard has also had several major surgeries and is preparing for another in the next month. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bernard has been able to purchase insurance through\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/coverme.gov\/?link_id=4&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coverME.gov<\/a>\u00a0using ePTCs. But without the credits, her insurance premium will rise in 2026 from about $250 to $1200 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith access to affordable health insurance, I can stay healthy, work, and contribute to my community,\u201d Bernard says. \u201cWithout health insurance and regular access to affordable health care, the disease I have would kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Older Mainers in rural areas will be\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mecep.org\/blog\/how-the-congressional-health-care-fight-impacts-mainers\/?link_id=5&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hit especially hard<\/a>\u00a0if the ePTCs aren\u2019t reinstated for 2026. Allowing ePTCs to expire would increase premiums \u2014 especially for older adults in rural areas \u2014 by an average of 77%, with many people likely to drop coverage as a result. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Megan Smith (she\/her), a Maine People\u2019s Alliance community organizer in northern Maine, says the expiring ePTCs are only part of the larger health care crisis that Republicans and Pres. Trump created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBecause of the devastating cuts to Medicaid and other health care programs in the Republican federal budget, we\u2019re already seeing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/themainemonitor.org\/healthcare-closure-maps\/?link_id=6&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">maternity wards<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/10\/02\/health\/maine-clinic-primary-care?link_id=7&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">primary care practices<\/a>\u00a0closing, with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ruralhospitals.chqpr.org\/downloads\/Rural_Hospitals_at_Risk_of_Closing.pdf?link_id=8&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more rural hospitals<\/a>\u00a0at risk. Rural Mainers already have to drive too far and pay too much for health care \u2013 if we can get it at all. Having to pay so much more for insurance will mean that more people will go without, and more people will die. Sen. Collins has to understand that protecting our health care needs to be her first priority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mainers will see their premiums increase an average of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/2025\/09\/04\/aca-premiums-to-rise-by-nearly-24-in-maine\/?link_id=9&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nearly 24%<\/a>\u00a0(4% higher than the national average) on the ACA individual marketplace, which has about 71,000 enrollees in Maine. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commonwealthfund.org\/publications\/issue-briefs\/2025\/oct\/expiring-premium-tax-credits-lead-340000-jobs-lost-2026?link_id=10&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Just the end of ePTCs<\/a>\u00a0would result in $42 million in lost federal funding for Maine, the loss of 500 jobs, and $6 million less per year in state and local tax revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Republican leadership in the Senate committed to vote on reinstating ePTCs as a condition of ending the federal government shutdown earlier this month, but have not made any commitments beyond that. The Senate has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/legislative\/resources\/pdf\/2025_calendar.pdf?link_id=11&amp;can_id=e97e876071aaf08f1c19416ae5b170e8&amp;source=email-mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;email_referrer=&amp;email_subject=mainers-give-collins-the-bill-for-skyrocketing-health-insurance-costs&amp;&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two weeks<\/a>\u00a0of session days before the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>####<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>####<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact: Nora Flaherty-Stanford, (207) 370-8314, <a href=\"mailto:nora@mainepeoplesalliance.org\">nora@mainepeoplesalliance.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>November 20, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-releases","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mainers give Collins the bill for skyrocketing health insurance costs - 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