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Maine’s health care system, as well as Mainers, could suffer another blow come the end of year if enhanced tax credits—that discount marketplace health care insurance premiums—are not renewed.

According to the nonprofit Health System Tracker, if tax credits expire at the end of the year, some Mainers could see their health insurance premiums increase by as much as $900 dollars per month.

Access to affordable health care has long been considered as one of the biggest successes of the Obama Administration. The Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010, and with it came access to cheaper insurance premiums through the marketplace or what some call the exchange.

Each state has its own marketplace. Mainers use the CoverMe marketplace to access affordable health coverage in the state.

Matt Wellington from the Maine Public Health Association said CoverMe could soon become unaffordable if Congress members do not renew the enhanced premium tax credits that are set to expire at the end of 2025.

The enhanced premium tax credits discount marketplace health insurance.

All year, healthcare has faced immense pressure due to talks about massive federal and state cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. But MaineHealth’s chief of government affairs officer Katie Fullam Harris has continuously advocated for elected officials in Maine and Washington to adequately fund health care.

A few months ago, Congress passed the House Resolution 1 spending bill, which made more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and Medicare.

Harris said hospitals and health care providers are already functioning on razor thin budgets as they brace for the impact of those cuts.

Fullam Harris said with the tax credits, marketplace healthcare for some people would only increase by five percent, but without the credits, there would be a 122 percent increase for some cohorts of people.

She said many working class people use health insurance through the exchange will likely be unable to afford health care if those increases happen.

“Maine people cannot afford a $12,000 per year increase in their insurance cost,” Fullam Harris said. “They’ll rely on emergency departments far more, and they will not be able to afford medications and many things that they need to stay healthy. That is our biggest concern.” News Center Maine

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), India’s flagship program to create an integrated digital healthcare infrastructure, is planning to seek ₹2,000 crore to extend its operations till 2030, two government officials aware of the matter said.

The proposal comes as the scheme’s initial five-year term, launched with a budget of ₹1,600 crore, is set to end in March next year, with only a third of the allocated funds having been used.

The National Health Authority (NHA), the implementing body for the mission, is leading the push for this new funding.

“We are moving a proposal to secure a significant allocation for ABDM 2.0,” the first of the two officials cited earlier said, highlighting the urgency to continue the program’s momentum. “The process for cabinet approval is underway and we expect it to move forward quickly in the coming days.”

The extension for the ABDM is being sought to continue building India’s digital health infrastructure. The initial five-year term was foundational, with a new phase, “ABDM 2.0,” requiring a larger budget and more time. The extension is crucial for completing the digital infrastructure, expanding adoption by onboarding more healthcare facilities and citizens with ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) IDs, and providing sustained human resources and capacity-building support.

This proposed funding extension is important for the digital health mission, which is building a comprehensive digital backbone for the country’s healthcare system. The digital healthcare ecosystem will enable a host of facilities like digital consultation, consent of patients in letting medical practitioners access their records, etc. With the implementation of this scheme, old medical records will remain stored digitally.

“Hopefully by the end of this month, we are expecting to circulate the note to seek budgetary approvals for ABDM 2.0. Also, this month, NHA is hosting an annual event called Arogya Manthan, so soon after that, the Expenditure Finance Committee and cabinet note will be circulated,” the second official said. Both the officials cited earlier spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Queries sent to the Union health ministry remained unanswered till press time.

The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) is a panel chaired by the expenditure secretary in the Union finance ministry. The EFC examines schemes, coordinates with other ministries and departments, and provides recommendations before proposals are considered for final approval, playing a crucial role in managing and controlling government expenditure.

The ABDM aims to create a unified digital health infrastructure in India. It is a network of technologies and services that connects patients, doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies. Its goal is to create a seamless flow of health information, improving efficiency, access, and quality of care.

Bharath Sesha, managing director at health technology provider Philips Indian Subcontinent, said, “The extension of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is a timely step for Indian healthcare. ABDM is a visionary initiative aimed at enabling longitudinal patient data, which is fundamental to truly integrated and continuous care. With this foundation, artificial intelligence can become a powerful enabler helping clinicians detect disease earlier, support more accurate diagnosis, and deliver patient-centric outcomes.”

Sesha added that such digital tools will also allow doctors to spend more quality time with patients rather than on routine processes. “At Philips, we believe that the combination of ABDM’s digital backbone and AI-driven innovation will play a transformative role in building an accessible, efficient and resilient health system for the future.”

For individuals, the ABDM provides an easily accessible personal digital health record, saving time and leading to better diagnoses. For the healthcare system, it promises a more inclusive network, reducing administrative burdens and helping bridge the gap between urban and rural areas. LiveMint

Private Hospitals and Dialysis Centres in Jammu and Kashmir, empanelled under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY scheme, are facing an unprecedented crisis and are on the brink of collapse due to delayed payment of bills by J&K State Health Agency (SHA).Hospital owners said that despite repeated assurances, pending dues have mounted to 100’s of crores, making it increasingly difficult for healthcare providers to sustain their operations.Since March 2024, SHA has been delaying payments to empanelled hospitals and dialysis centres, leading to a crisis-like situation. Last year, private hospitals and dialysis centre owners protested by stopping medical services under the scheme.However, after the intervention of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, a significant amount of pending money was released. However, they said the gap in payment of pending dues has widened over time.The hospital owners said they are not receiving payments continuously, and if at all, it’s in piecemeal fashion. “We are not able to pay our vendors, who have now threatened to stop the supply of consumables. The government does not honour the agreement for timely payments to run the scheme successfully,” they said.While some partial payments were made, they were often accompanied by substantial, unwarranted deductions, highlighting the critical issue of timely payment and the need for government action to address the situation.“If the government cannot run the scheme due to the paucity of funds, let them make it public instead of crushing the hospitals due to delayed payment of bills,” they said.Notably, SHA J&K shifted to a new policy (PS8) under AB-PMJAY and AB-PMJAY SEHAT on Trust Mode from April 17, 2025. However, none of the hospitals have received payment under the new scheme, in addition to a significant amount of pending payment from the old scheme (PS7).Previously, the SHAJK blocked four surgical procedures for private hospitals, effective from March 15, 2025, citing their misuse in private hospitals. These procedures are now reserved exclusively for public hospitals.J&K is among the few states in India where 100 per cent of the population is covered under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. The reservation of four procedures to public hospitals has significantly affected the Below Poverty Line (BPL) population, who now have to wait for months for surgery in public hospitals or arrange money for surgery in private institutions.The hospitals and dialysis centre owners urged the government to take steps to clear the pending dues and ensure the sustainability of healthcare services, which concerns precious human lives and was the brainchild of the Prime Minister of India. Rising Kashmir