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"Medical debt, unfortunately, is something Mainers continue to struggle with. We applaud Senator Bailey's leadership on this issue and the Governor signing these important consumer protections into law," said Ann Woloson, Executive Director of Maine Consumers for Affordable Health Care. "Nearly half of Maine families have medical debt and far too many Maine families are having to make tough decisions about paying for the health care they need or putting food on the table, gas in their car or paying their rent. By signing this bill into law, Governor Mills is easing the mind of Mainers who will no long have to worry about losing their homes or having their wages garnished due to medical debt."
According to a recent survey by Consumers for Affordable Health Care, nearly half of Maine households have incurred medical debt over the past two years.
Consumers know something needs to be done to address rising health care costs. Mainers are squeezed at the outset by sharply rising health insurance premiums and too many are carrying significant medical debt. Even consumers who have historically been somewhat insulated from sticker shock are feeling the pinch. The cost of health care in Maine is a real problem — one that needs to be addressed sooner than later.
The situation is bleak. More than four out of 10, almost half of Maine families, carry burdensome medical debt. Most Mainers attribute their medical debt to hospital services, with one out of three carrying $5,000 or more. Hospital services contribute the most to total health care spending, followed by physician services and prescription drugs. In fact, per capita hospital expenses have significantly outpaced inflation nationally and Maine households’ median income. This trajectory is unsustainable.
Health insurance premiums for individuals without employer-sponsored coverage saw an average increase of 24% in their monthly premiums. Premiums for small businesses increased an average of 17% this year. Data from the Department of Health and Human Services show a 9.5% decline in total enrollment in Maine’s Marketplace in 2026 from 2025 (from 64,678 to 58,523). The decrease is in large part the result of increased costs.
Even people in large group insurance plans have been negatively affected. Nurses striking at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center cited the need to protect nurses’ health insurance benefits from potentially exorbitant increases as part of the justification for the strike. Bath Iron Works strikers say the rising costs of benefits, including health insurance, would cause union members to lose money despite other increases in compensation.
When the pain is felt this keenly in so many sectors, you know it’s time for policy makers to act.
