Mending Health to stop offering Mainers coverage next year
Mending Health, a Maine-based insurance carrier previously known as Taro Health, will shut down its health insurance business at the start of 2027, leaving roughly 1,100 members in the state to find new coverage.
The Maine Bureau of Insurance announced the company's departure on Monday, confirming it had received formal notice from Mending Health that the company will stop offering health plans after December 31, 2026. The company currently sells individual and small-group plans through Maine's Affordable Care Act marketplace, accessible to consumers at CoverME.gov, as well as directly to customers.
According to the bureau, members will not lose coverage immediately. Individuals and families will remain on their current plans until the end of their existing plan year, while small businesses that purchased Mending Health coverage for their employees will also be protected through the end of their plan year. However, the bureau is encouraging small employers to begin working with their insurance brokers or agents now to explore alternatives with other carriers.
The timing of the announcement aligns with Maine's annual open enrollment period, which begins November 1. That window gives affected individuals and families the chance to select a new health insurance company and avoid any gap in coverage as Mending winds down.
Four other insurers — Anthem Health, Community Health Options, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and UnitedHealthcare — have already submitted proposed rate adjustments for the 2027 plan year. Regulators are currently reviewing those filings and expect to finalize the new rates in August, giving consumers and brokers a clearer picture of their options well before open enrollment begins in the fall.
The bureau did not provide details on why Mending Health decided to exit the Maine market. A representative for the company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Maine News Now will update this story as more information becomes available.
