Gov. Janet Mills today publicly unveiled a proposal to lower the cost of health insurance for small businesses using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Mills spoke to reporters outside Coffee by Design in Portland
"Supported by $39 million dollars in federal money, not a dime of state tax dollars, this program will provide small businesses with short-term financial relief from health insurance premiums as these businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic," she says.
Mills says if approved by the Legislature, the program would lower premiums by $50 dollars a month per covered employee through the end of next year.
The insurance relief proposal is one of several included in her Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, which would utilize more than $1 billion dollars in discretionary federal funds allocated to Maine.
"As soon as it's approved by the legislature, as soon as July 1 this year, this program will lower overall monthly health insurance premiums and workers by $50 a month per covered employee through December 31, 2022," she says.
