This Woman is Wearing a Cloth Face Mask. She was Purchasing Hand Sanitizer at Maine Craft Distillery, Washington Avenue, on Munjoy Hill.
Governor Janet T. Mills today joined a coalition of eleven other states in writing to the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma to ask the e Administration to reconsider its decision and take swift action to allow for a special enrollment period of at least 30 days on the federal health care exchange.
“In the midst of one of the worst public health crises of our lifetime, it is more important than ever to ensure that Maine people can see their doctor, receive the care they need, and stay healthy,” said Governor Mills in a press release issued late today. “I join other Governors nationwide in urging the Administration to ease access to critical health care by opening the federal health care exchange during this unprecedented time.”
On March 22, 2020, Governor Mills wrote Maine’s Congressional Delegation asking them to urge the Trump Administration to provide a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) through the Health Insurance Marketplace. noting that “access to health insurance coverage not only provides peace of mind for individuals, but also protects public health by encouraging the use of necessary health services.” Governor Mills also declared an insurance emergency on March 12, 2020 to improve access to care and require private health insurance plans to cover costs related to coronavirus testing. The Superintendent of Insurance, Eric Ciappa, has also ordered that private, fully insured plans pay the full costs of COVID-19 testing and issued an order deferring premium deadlines to assist consumers in monitoring health coverage.
“Too many of our constituents are uninsured or underinsured despite the steps we’ve taken at the state level,” the Governors write in their letter. “As a result, far too many of our residents are choosing to forgo coronavirus testing and treatment out of fear of the potential costs to themselves to access the treatment they need. One of the most effective ways this can be done, the opening up of a federal special enrollment period to give everyone the chance to enroll in a health plan that offers the coverage they need with access to any qualifying subsidies.”
“In a time of a fast-moving pandemic, taking every step possible to expand access to health insurance is not just a responsible choice for the health of the individual, but also for the health of our communities, our states to expand access to health insurance is not just a responsible choice for the health of the individual, but also for the health of our communities, our states, and the country,” the Governors continued. “We as Governors have done and will continue to do everything we can for our residents, and we hope that you will take all the necessary steps that only you can for them as well.”
The other eleven states in the coalition are: Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania Virginia and Wisconsin.