PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine)- Maine's Independent U.S. Senator Angus King made a stop in Portland on Monday morning to discuss lower insurance premiums for those covered by the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, he commented on the latest plan from President Donald Trump to combat the opioid emergency across the country, something Maine is all too familiar with.
Senator King sat down in a round table discussion with Mainers covered by under the ACA, but who struggle with high premium costs. The senator said he is currently supporting a bill that would provide subsidies for more young people to sign up for insurance under the ACA, which he said will drive down the premium costs for everyone covered by it. The idea is that younger people are generally healthier and less expensive to cover, and with more people insured under the ACA, premiums will cost less for everyone.
NEWS CENTER Maine also asked Senator King, an advocate for expanded and better funded treatment programs for those struggling with addiction, about his thoughts on the president's latest plan to stop the opioid crisis announced Sunday evening. While he said he agrees with the overall message of the plan, and supports more treatment funding, Senator King said he is still unsure about the portion of the plan that includes the death penalty as punishment for drug traffickers and wants to hear more about that from President Trump when he is expected speak at an event in Manchester, New Hampshire Monday afternoon.
"I've never been an advocate of the death penalty, we don't have it here in Maine, haven't for 150 years. I think there are other ways to deal with these crimes," King said. "It gets into definitions, but I want to hear what the president has to say today."
The senator added that he is hopeful that this will be a stronger and more effective plan to combat the opioid crisis, but he is concerned about the follow through of the plan. He said he looks forward to working with fellow lawmakers to make that happen.