My wife and I cannot afford to continue living in Portland, where we have worked and raised our family. We cannot afford our rent, at more than $2,500 per month, not including utilities. We cannot afford my Anthem premiums through the ACA, which increased from $606 per month to $1,232 per month this year.
One of our adult children moved overseas for educational opportunities. The United States and Maine are are becoming increasingly hostile for people who are transgender, thanks to growing anti-trans rhetoric, state laws and President Trump’s executive orders.
Our other adult child is likely to lose his MaineCare next year due to Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as he has long experienced the under-employment that affects 85% of adults with autism and we cannot afford to help him cover the cost of an ACA plan.
We have watched Trump’s angry, hateful MAGA movement begin to put its agenda into action. So, we have made the extremely difficult decision to leave our city, state and country to make new lives on the other side of the pond—thanks to my wife and our children having dual citizenship.
We will greatly miss our friends and family here.
We sincerely hope that we are wrong about the trajectory of Maine and the U.S.
Kelley McDaniel
Portland
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