The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) expanded Medicaid eligibility to include more people who couldn’t otherwise obtain health insurance. As written, the ACA would extend Medicaid to all adults with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. (For a single person in Maine in 2023, that’s $20,120. For a family of four, it’s $41,400.)
However, the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that it was up to individual states to decide whether to expand Medicaid. As of December 2023, only 10 states have not expanded their programs.
Maine Has Expanded Medicaid
Maine voters approved Medicaid expansion in November 2017, but the state's governor at the time, Paul LePage, refused to do anything about it. When Governor Janet Mills took office in January 2019, she immediately opened enrollment in expanded Medicaid for Mainers.
Find Out What Health Plans and Programs You Qualify For
To learn whether you're eligible for MaineCare in Maine, contact the Maine Medicaid office.
You can also find out whether you qualify when you apply for health insurance at CoverME. If you don’t meet Maine’s Medicaid requirements, CoverME will show you the private health insurance plans available to you. You may still be eligible for significant cost-saving subsidies based on your income and family size.
For more information, see Ways to Save Money on Obamacare in Maine.