Health

Ensuring a better Maryland with a healthy Maryland

The Institute addresses the systematic problems that prove to be barriers for those wanting to access health care while at the same time advocating better coverage for children, low-income families, the mentally ill, the aged, and people with disabilities.

 MB&TPI Fact Sheet

August 27, 2010

Why federal health care reform is good medicine for Maryland

Cracks Down on Insurance Company Abuses

• Insurers will no longer be able to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition or drop your coverage when you get sick.
• Insurers will no longer be able to charge higher premiums based on your gender or health status.
• Marylanders have been paying more for coverage and getting less. Insurers finally will be required to spend more of our premium dollars on actual medical care and quality measures.

Ends Runaway Premiums for the Middle Class

• Uninsured Marylanders will be able to gain coverage through a competitive marketplace called an “exchange.” By forcing insurance companies to compete, exchanges will drive down costs, guarantee choice, and put consumers in control.
• People with moderate incomes (for example, a family of four making up to $88,000) will get help paying their premiums.

Provides Financial Security and Stability

• All of Maryland’s 741,000 seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare will no longer have to pay for preventive services, and many will have more help paying for prescriptions.
• Health reform will set limits on how much families will have to spend on health care out of their own pockets (on copayments, deductibles, etc.).
• Insurers will no longer be able to put yearly or lifetime limits on how much they will pay for your care if you get sick.
• Health reform will reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion in the next 10 years and will save $1.2 trillion more in the following two decades.

Expands Coverage, Saves Lives

• Young adults can stay on their parents’ health plans up to the age of 26.
• Health reform will save lives. Without reform, an estimated 4,100 Marylanders would have died prematurely due to a lack of health coverage over the next decade.

• 497,000 uninsured Marylanders will gain insurance.    

Source: Families USA. How Health Reform Helps the States. May 2010.

For a printable PDF of this fact sheet go here>>

In Case You Missed "Health Care Reform: Ask the Experts" on June 24 & 25, 2010 - co-sponsored by Maryland Nonprofits at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health view the webcast here.

709,500 Marylanders Lack Health Coverage, Job-Based Coverage Declining, New Census Bureau Data Show.  Roughly 13 out of 100 Marylanders lacked health coverage in 2007 and 2008, according to Census Bureau data released yesterday, and employer-provided health insurance continued to decline nationwide.  9/11/09 >> See MBTPI's Press Release on Census Health Insurance Data(PDF)>>

Maryland Health Care Coverage Expands, Un-Met Needs Persist.

Health Care Expansion has added over 40,000 new enrollees. This is Great! Yet, we cannot lose sight that thousands of Maryland's childless adults struggle to survive without coverage. 6/24/09.

See MBTPI's Health Care Issue. Maryland Policy Report. This health care issue provides a glimpse into Maryland's health care expansion in 2007, as well as a look at Massachusetts's health care reform. 11/4/08.

Maryland Children's Health Coverage at Risk. Governor Ehrlich and 11 other governors sent a letter to the President appealing for more federal funds to avert a shortfall.  The estimated shortfall for Maryland is nearly $65 million. Updated 09/25/2006 >> Want More Information on this Problem?  Read our fact sheet.

Bad Medicine? Balancing the Budget by Cutting Health Services for Low-Income Families, the Aged, and People with Severe Disabilities More than $250 million has been cut from the state's Medicaid program in the last two years. With a $1.5 billion revenue shortfall looming in the next two years, more cuts may be on the way. Is cutting health services for low-income kids, elderly and people with disabilities a Maryland priority? Updated 02/18/05

Balancing the Budget by Shifting Health Costs to State Employees The executive branch is considering options that would shift as much as $124 million in health costs from the state to its employees and retirees. This follows other recently approved cost shifts. See what's on the list. 10/20/04

Cuts That Hurt The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has prepared a list of potential cuts that would reduce health services by $480 million. See what's on the list. 9/24/04

Expanding Health Coverage Through State Tax Credits. A proposal to expand health insurance coverage in Maryland through tax credits faces several challenges. It may undermine rather than expand existing health coverage statewide. 1/23/04