When the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, Maine was ahead of the game when it came to planning a state-operated, online health insurance marketplace. The state took advantage of a $1 million federal planning grant, and planning continued under both the Baldacci and LePage administrations.
Then, majority Republicans in the Legislature put exchange planning on hold, and Gov. Paul LePage later said Maine wouldn’t operate an exchange. In the end, Maine residents purchasing insurance on the individual market used the federally operated HealthCare.gov.
Had the Supreme Court ruled the other way Thursday, the federal subsidies that about 61,000 Maine residents receive would have been in jeopardy. They are preserved by a 6-3 ruling whether Maine ultimately decides to operate its own exchange or not.
Here’s a look at Maine’s efforts to plan an exchange, then its choice to drop it.
Hover over the right side of the timeline and click to see the next event.
BDN Health Editor Jackie Farwell contributed to this report.