Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement in response to an announcement by Northern Light and Anthem that they have agreed to a temporary contract extension as negotiations continue:

"Today, I met personally with representatives from Northern Light Health and Anthem after speaking with them by phone earlier this week. In our meetings today, I pushed both parties to agree to a 30-day extension to continue contract negotiations, an effort that was successful. While this extension is a better alternative than a lapse, I called on them -- as I do again now -- to resolve this stalemate and to reach a fair and equitable agreement once and for all. I made clear to both Northern Light and Anthem that a potential contract termination would be unacceptable and would have devastating impacts for thousands of Maine people, jeopardizing their access to care and needlessly risking their health along with it. That the parties have not yet reached an agreement has already created uncertainty and sent anxiety rippling through the lives of Maine people who are deeply worried about whether they can receive the care they need. Maine people deserve better. This needs to come to an end."