AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine has enshrined former President Obama's health coverage protections into state law.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed the emergency bill into law Tuesday.
Maine's law requires insurance companies to follow patient protections outlined in Obama's health law, which a federal district court judge ruled against in December. Maine's law, for example, allows young adults up to age 26 to remain on parents' insurance.
Maine law already has some patient protections, such as a ban on limiting or denying coverage because of an individual's pre-existing conditions.
But Mills' administration said the law's needed in case the ruling's upheld.
For example, if courts strike down Obamacare, previous Maine law would have allowed insurers to charge seniors five times what younger patients pay. Maine's new law maintains Obamacare's 3:1 ratio.