Employment and Barriers to Independence
Poverty and Economic
Well Being
Increasing Access to Health Insurance for Working Parents
As documented in our reports, "How Well Are We Faring?" and "Working but Uninsured" the number of Marylanders without health insurance grew dramatically during the 1990s. While many factors contribute to this growth, one contributor is the limited access to health insurance for very low-income Marylanders.
Maryland eliminated its publicly financed health insurance program for low-income adults without dependent children as a cost-saving measure in the mid 1990s. The program that remains for parents has fared only slightly better, with income eligibility limits that are so low that only the very poorest parents are eligible. Despite being the richest state in the U.S., Maryland ranks 41st highest in the amount of earnings that a parent can have and keep their eligibility for Medicaid.
Leaders in the Maryland General Assembly, looking to build on the success of the state's Child Health Insurance Program, have proposed to increase access to health insurance for low-income, working parents. HB 5 and SB 743 would extend Medicaid eligibility for parents with income up to 150 percent of poverty, up from the current limits of 43 percent of poverty.
Extending access to health insurance to all poor and near-poor parents would be an important step toward improving the well-being of low-income Marylanders.
- Testimony of Steve Hill on HB 5