NEW: “Susan Collins Accepts Thousands from Insurers While Health Costs Soar for Mainers”

Collins hasn't backed legislation to extend premium tax credits - "without them, the typical monthly premium would jump from about $260 to $440."

Augusta, Maine - Susan Collins has raked in major campaign donations from insurance companies who are planning to raise health care "premiums on Mainers by as much as 23% in 2026" thanks in part to Collins' inaction, according to a new report.

The report details how the expiration of the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits is contributing to rising premium costs, and points out Susan Collins "has yet to sponsor" any legislative move to extend the tax credits.

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Maine Beacon: Susan Collins accepts thousands from insurers while health costs soar for Mainers
By Channa Steinmetz
September 15, 2025

• Federal Election Commission numbers show that Sen. Susan Collins has accepted nearly $120,000 in campaign contributions from political action committees tied to major health insurers - the same companies now raising premiums on Mainers by as much as 23% in 2026.

• According to FEC filings, Collins has received $49,500 from UnitedHealthcare, $25,000 from Cigna, $22,500 from Anthem, and $22,500 from Aetna over the course of her career. They are among the top health insurance providers in Maine.

• Several of those insurers are also driving some of the sharpest increases next year. Anthem Health Plans of Maine will raise rates by 23.1%, and UnitedHealthcare by 8.4%, according to filings with the Maine Bureau of Insurance. Nationally, Cigna is proposing double-digit increases in multiple states, while Aetna announced it will exit the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace altogether in 2026, a move timed with the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies.

• Those subsidies, first enacted in 2021, lowered monthly premiums by nearly $180 for roughly 50,000 Mainers, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. State officials say they saved households $350 million in 2024 and about $90 million so far this year. Without them, the typical monthly premium would jump from about $260 to $440.

• But Collins voted in June to advance Republican legislation that left the credits out. The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" contained nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts and excluded an extension of ACA subsidies. Rolling Stone described Collins's vote as "critical" to moving the package forward in the Senate.

• U.S. Sen Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire has proposed the Health Care Affordability Act of 2025, which would make the subsidies permanent, but Collins has yet to sponsor the bill.

• The Maine Bureau of Insurance projects that without congressional action, about 30,000 Mainers could lose coverage. Superintendent Bob Carey warned that older residents not yet eligible for Medicare would be most at risk. Gov. Janet Mills added that uncertainty over subsidies is already fueling higher rates and could make self-employment less viable for Maine workers.

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