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LePage: Anthem Leaving Maine ACA Market Because 'They Can't Make Money'

Maine Gov. Paul LePage told reporters Thursday morning that Anthem's decision to drop out of Maine's ACA marketplace next year has nothing to do with anything President Trump has done. Instead, LePage blamed the Affordable Care Act itself.

"They are dying in the individual market - they can't make money," LePage said Thursday, at a conference in Falmouth on natural gas.

Anthem said Wednesday that it's become increasingly hard to plan and price ACA-compliant health care plans, in part because it's not clear whether the federal government will continue to subsidize premiums for lower-income people.

If the Trump administration were to stop those payments - as it has said it may do - insurance companies would either have to pick up the costs, or pass them along to people who buy insurance.

Anthem's withdrawal leaves just two providers offering policies in Maine in 2018: Harvard Pilgrim, and Community Health Options.  

This story was originally published Sept. 28, 2017 at 11:45 a.m. ET.

A Columbia University graduate, Fred began his journalism career as a print reporter in Vermont, then came to Maine Public in 2001 as its political reporter, as well as serving as a host for a variety of Maine Public Radio and Maine Public Television programs. Fred later went on to become news director for New England Public Radio in Western Massachusetts and worked as a freelancer for National Public Radio and a number of regional public radio stations, including WBUR in Boston and NHPR in New Hampshire.
Nora Flaherty
Nora is originally from the Boston area but has lived in Chicago, Michigan, New York City and at the northern tip of New York state. Nora began working in public radio at Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor and has been an on-air host, a reporter, a digital editor, a producer, and, when they let her, played records.