Residents Struggle To Afford Rising Health Care Premiums

PORTLAND, Maine - As many as 10,000 Maine residents are struggling to afford health care coverage due to rising premiums and deductibles.
 
The Portland Press Herald reports that former President Obama's Affordable Care Act lacks cost control for enrollees who earn more than 400 percent of the federal poverty limit.
 
Those enrollees have seen premiums increase as much as 110 percent from $376 per month in 2014 to $790 per month this year.
 
People who qualify for subsidies, however, have the option to purchase plans for $75 to $350 a month, depending on where they live.
 
A representative with the Maine Bureau of Insurance says the state is working on a reinsurance program for 2019 to help balance insurance premiums. But he says affording insurance will still be difficult.