For over a decade, State-Based Marketplaces have provided private health coverage to tens of millions of Americans, ensuring their health, well-being, and economic security. The Americans who depend on the Marketplaces include working parents, small business owners, farmers, gig workers, early retirees, and lower and middle-class individuals of all ages, political views, and backgrounds who drive our local economies and make both our rural and urban communities thrive.
The legislation under consideration in the House will severely impact the ability of these millions of Americans to continue to access this coverage and the health and financial security they depend on today. This will make for a sicker, less financially secure American public and strain hospitals and health care providers by increasing uncompensated care.
With potential Federal cuts to Medicaid on the horizon, renewing enhanced premium tax credits to ensure affordable insurance through the marketplace takes on greater significance
AUGUSTA— The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) today announced its support for renewing the enhanced premium tax credits for consumers of the health insurance marketplace.
The enhanced premium tax credits, which were first implemented in 2021 through the American Rescue Act and extended in the Inflation Reduction Act are set to expire at the end of this year unless Congress acts. Allowing these federal tax credits to expire will result in higher health insurance premiums for Maine consumers, potentially putting health coverage out of reach for thousands of Mainers. Overall, the enhanced tax credits are saving Mainers a conservative estimate of nearly $90 million in health care premium savings this year.
With the pending dire threat to several of these programs (primarily Medicaid & the ACA) from the House Republican Budget Proposal which recently passed, I'm going a step further and am generating pie charts which visualize just how much of every Congressional District's total population is at risk of losing healthcare coverage.
USE THE DROP-DOWN MENU ABOVE TO FIND YOUR STATE & DISTRICT.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) will release biweekly updates on plan selections through CoverME.gov, Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
Plan selections provide a snapshot of activity by new and returning consumers who have selected a plan for 2025. “Plan selections” become “enrollments” once consumers have paid their first monthly premium to begin insurance. These numbers are subject to change as consumers may modify or cancel plans after their initial selection.
The deadline to select a plan for coverage beginning January 1, 2025 is December 15, 2024. Consumers who select a plan between December 16, 2024 and January 15, 2025 will have coverage beginning February 1, 2025.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) will release biweekly updates on plan selections through CoverME.gov, Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
Plan selections provide a snapshot of activity by new and returning consumers who have selected a plan for 2025. “Plan selections” become “enrollments” once consumers have paid their first monthly premium to begin insurance. These numbers are subject to change as consumers may modify or cancel plans after their initial selection.
The deadline to select a plan for coverage beginning January 1, 2025 is December 15, 2024. Consumers who select a plan between December 16, 2024 and January 15, 2025 will have coverage beginning February 1, 2025.
It was in early 2021 that Congressional Democrats passed & President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which among other things dramatically expanded & enhanced the original premium subsidy formula of the Affordable Care Act, finally bringing the financial aid sliding income scale up to the level it should have been in the first place over a decade earlier.
In addition to beefing up the subsidies along the entire 100 - 400% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) income scale, the ARPA also eliminated the much-maligned "Subsidy Cliff" at 400% FPL, wherein a household earning even $1 more than that had all premium subsidies cut off immediately, requiring middle-class families to pay full price for individual market health insurance policies.
Here's what the original ACA premium subsidy formula looked like compared to the current, enhanced subsidy formula:
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) will release biweekly updates on plan selections through CoverME.gov, Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
Plan selections provide a snapshot of activity by new and returning consumers who have selected a plan for 2025. “Plan selections” become “enrollments” once consumers have paid their first monthly premium to begin insurance. These numbers are subject to change as consumers may modify or cancel plans after their initial selection.
The deadline to select a plan for coverage beginning January 1, 2025 is December 15, 2024. Consumers who select a plan between December 16, 2024 and January 15, 2025 will have coverage beginning February 1, 2025.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) will release biweekly updates on plan selections through CoverME.gov, Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
Plan selections provide a snapshot of activity by new and returning consumers who have selected a plan for 2025. “Plan selections” become “enrollments” once consumers have paid their first monthly premium to begin insurance. These numbers are subject to change as consumers may modify or cancel plans after their initial selection.
The deadline to select a plan for coverage beginning January 1, 2025 is December 15, 2024. Consumers who select a plan between December 16, 2024 and January 15, 2025 will have coverage beginning February 1, 2025.
Maine Superintendent of Insurance Bob Carey encourages Maine consumers to be cautious when shopping for health plans during the annual Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period. Open enrollment for plan year 2025 is open now. For coverage to begin on January 1, 2025, Maine people must enroll by December 15, 2024. The final deadline to enroll is January 15, 2025 for coverage to begin on February 1, 2025.
The Maine Bureau of Insurance wants consumers to be aware that many legitimate-looking health plans they may see when doing an internet search may not offer comprehensive coverage and may not be authorized to be sold in Maine.
Consumers are urged to shop for plans at CoverME.gov, Maine’s health insurance marketplace, which offers health plans that have been reviewed and approved by the Bureau of Insurance and is the only place Maine residents can get financial savings to lower monthly premiums. Consumers can also call CoverME.gov at 1-866-636-0355; TTY: 711, Monday-Friday, 8 am – 8 pm during the Open Enrollment Period.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) will release biweekly updates on plan selections through CoverME.gov, Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
Plan selections provide a snapshot of activity by new and returning consumers who have selected a plan for 2025. “Plan selections” become “enrollments” once consumers have paid their first monthly premium to begin insurance. These numbers are subject to change as consumers may modify or cancel plans after their initial selection.
The deadline to select a plan for coverage beginning January 1, 2025 is December 15, 2024. Consumers who select a plan between December 16, 2024 and January 15, 2025 will have coverage beginning February 1, 2025.
