Greater Portland Health welcomed Senator King, community members with pre-existing conditions, health care advocates, and medical professionals at our South Portland Location for a roundtable discussion on Monday. The discussion focused on a change to the Affordable Care Act to eliminate the provision that requires it mandatory for patients with pre-existing conditions to be insured and how this may negatively impact patients in Maine. The Department of Justice recently announced that it won’t defend the guarantee of ACA coverage for pre-existing conditions in court, which could result in insurance companies discriminating against vulnerable Mainers in need of care.

Some of the most compelling stories came from parents of children with pre-existing conditions who could face bankruptcy if they lost their health insurance. Senator King live-streamed the discussion on his Facebook page as community members told their stories of struggle with getting quality medical care for themselves and their family members.

King vowed to take the stories back to Washington:

"The patients, advocates and medical professionals at today’s meeting were outspoken, informed, and compelling. These Maine people were united by the fear of what could result from this disastrous DOJ decision, and by passion to fight for their lives and the lives of people in their community. Today’s discussion strengthened my belief that repealing the ACA’s protections for those with pre-existing conditions will make things a lot worse for a lot of people–especially in Maine. I’ll take these stories back to Washington, and share them with my colleagues as I continue pushing them to stand up for Americans living with pre-existing conditions."