The Maine Senate has upheld Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of bipartisan legislation that would ensure that Mainers are covered for some basic health insurance benefits should the Affordable Care Act be repealed by Congress.
The measure would have required health insurers in Maine to cover pre-existing conditions. Sen. Brownie Carson, a Democrat from Harpswell, argued to override the veto.
“It prevents health insurance companies from declining or cutting off people because of a pre-existing condition," Carson said.
The measure also would have allowed persons up to age 26 to be covered under their parent’s health insurance if those protections in the Affordable Care Act are repealed by Congress.
But opponents argued those protections have broad support in Congress and are unlikely to go away. Gov. LePage vetoed the bill saying he would not sign a bill based on speculation.
Sen. Eric Brakey, a Republican from Auburn, supported the veto. “I don’t think that there is any eminent danger of that piece of Obama Care or the Affordable Care Act being repealed," he said. "I don’t see any conversation about that taking place on the federal level.”
