Now is the Time to Tell Your Legislators to Support the Maryland Health Security Act
Calls are often more effective than email. Please use your own words, and mention you're a constituent and the area where you live.
Find your state legislator:
http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/ - input your address, click House of Delegates and State Senate, get a phone number to call
Email your state legislator:
http://mlis.state.md.us/mgaweb/mail32.aspx General Assembly Switchboard: 410-841-3000, Toll Free 800-492-7122
Healthcare activists will hold a rally and legislative day 9:30 AM Wednesday Feb 23rd, Lawyer’s Mall in front of the State House. Come show support for the Maryland Health Security Act. Speakers will include representatives from the Coalition for Health Security and legislators. After the rally, we will distribute lobbying materials and give a briefing on lobbying. The Senate hearing is March 9th. House hearing TBA. Please contact Eric Naumburg
enaumburg@hotmail.com / 443-562-6562 and Margaret Flowers
mdpnhp@gmail.com / 410-591-0892 for further information and to help. Synopsis: Establishing the Maryland Health System; requiring the Health System to provide health care services to all residents of the State under a single system that is not dependent on employment; authorizing a member of the Health System to choose any participating health care provider; requiring the Health System to reimburse a member who receives health care services from an out-of-state health care provider under specified circumstances; etc.
More information about SB 388/HB 1035: The bill would establish Medicare-like (single payer) health care financing for patient-directed, privately provided health care for all Marylanders. The Federal Affordable Care Act will not provide all Marylanders with health care, nor will it control costs to individuals or the state. Based on previous studies, an economic impact study by the Lewin Group is expected to demonstrate that a single-payer, tax-financed, privately delivered system will save money, help businesses, and provide comprehensive health care for all Marylanders. Maryland’s Medicaid bill accounts for over half of the budget shortfall, but the Health Security Act would cover everyone for less money. In 2010 fifty legislators supported the legislation. Last year, the bill (then-called Senate Bill 682) received an "Unfavorable Report" by the Finance committee. We're hoping for a much better outcome this year.
Health care costs are responsible for most of the Maryland state budget deficit. We can cover everybody in the state and create significant savings by creating a state single payer health system as described in the Maryland Health Security Act. The Maryland Health Security Act has been introduced in both the House of Delegates and the Senate. Please take a moment to send the following letter to your delegate(s) and senator asking them to support the Maryland Health Security Act. Feel free to edit if you like and to add your personal health story.
We especially need support from the Senators on the Finance Committee.
Chair Thomas M. Middleton, (410) 841-3616, (301) 858-3616
Vice-Chair John C. Astle*, (410) 841-3578, (301) 858-3578,
Health Subcommittee Chair Robert J. Garagiola* (410) 841-3169, (301) 858-3169,
Barry Glassman,
Delores G. Kelley*,
Allan H. Kittleman*,
Katherine A. Klausmeier*,
James N. Matthias, Jr.,
C. Anthony Muse,
E. J. Pipkin*,
Catherine E. Pugh; and from the Delegates on the Health and Government Operations Committee:
Eric M. Bromwell,
Robert A. Costa,
Bonnie L. Cullison,
John P. Donoghue,
Donald B. Elliott,
William J. Frank,
James W. Hubbard,
A. Wade Kach,
Ariana B. Kelly,
Nicholaus R. Kipke,
Susan W. Krebs,
Patrick L. McDonough,
Dan K. Morhaim,
Peter F. Murphy,
Shirley Nathan-Pulliam,
Nathaniel T. Oaks,
Joseline A. Pena-Melnyk,
Justin D. Ready,
Kirill Reznik,
Shawn Z. Tarrant,
Veronica L. Turner. (* indicates members of Senate Health Subcommittee)
Say "thanks for sponsoring the Health Security Act" if your Senator and/or delegate(s) are on this list:
- Senator Paul G. Pinsky, District 22
- Senator Joanne C. Benson, District 24
- Senator Jennie M. Forehand, District 17
- Senator Lisa A. Gladden, District 41
- Senator Verna L. Jones-Rodwell, District 44
- Senator Richard S. Madaleno, Jr., District 18
- Senator Roger P. Manno, District 19
- Senator Nathaniel J. McFadden, District 45
- Senator Karen S. Montgomery, District 14
- Senator Jamie Raskin, District 20
- Senator Jim Rosapepe, District 21
- Delegate Jill P. Carter, District 41
- Delegate Curt Anderson, District 43
- Delegate Charles Barkley, District 39
- Delegate Kumar P. Barve, District 17
- Delegate Elizabeth Bobo, District 12B
- Delegate Alfred C. Carr, Jr., District 18
- Delegate Galen R. Clagett, District 3A
- Delegate Frank M. Conaway, Jr., District 40
- Delegate Barbara Frush, District 21
- Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez, District 18
- Delegate Guy Guzzone, District 13
- Delegate Keith E. Haynes, District 44
- Delegate Sheila E. Hixson, District 20
- Delegate Carolyn J. B. Howard, District 24
- Delegate James W. Hubbard, District 23A
- Delegate Tom Hucker, District 20
- Delegate Anne R. Kaiser, District 14
- Delegate Susan C. Lee, District 16
- Delegate Eric G. Luedtke, District 14
- Delegate Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, District 10
- Delegate Doyle L. Niemann, District 47
- Delegate Nathaniel T. Oaks, District 41
- Delegate Joseline A. Pena-Melnyk, District 21
- Delegate Barbara Robinson, District 40
- Delegate Shane Robinson, District 39
- Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg, District 41
- Delegate Justin D. Ross, District 22
- Delegate Melvin L. Stukes, District 44
- Delegate Frank S. Turner, District 13
- Delegate Veronica Turner, District 26
- Delegate Mary L. Washington, District 43
If your legislator(s) are not on the above lists, please contact them now! You can use this sample text, but please use your own words!
Dear (Delegate or Senator) ________________,
Now more than ever is the time to support the Maryland Health Security Act.
Severe budget deficits at the state level will require cuts to Medicaid at a time when Medicaid enrollment is expanding due to job loss. Even without a recession, Medicaid expansions in the past have failed to keep up with the rising number of people without health insurance in Maryland.
The rising cost of health care places a severe stress on families leading to the majority of personal bankruptcies and home foreclosures.
Businesses, particularly small ones, find it hard to stay open if they choose to provide health benefits. Year after year, as the cost of providing health benefits rises, employers are shifting the added expense to their employees, and/or shifting to benefit packages that cover less and have unaffordable high deductibles.
Health care costs and insecurity have led to wage stagnation and suppression of Maryland entrepreneurs. Large businesses find it hard to compete on the global level because of health care costs.
Physicians in Maryland, especially those in primary care, report that health insurers inhibit their ability to provide quality care for their patients and 77% of them would like to leave practice or stop accepting health insurance. It costs primary care physicians over $65,000 per year deal with multiple insurance company paperwork.
The Federal legislation which passed fails to address the fundamental problem with health care in our state and nation – how to create a universal health system that maximizes health and controls cost.
Now is the time to stop patching up a broken system and create a health system that works for everybody: patients, health professionals and businesses. This is why I am asking you to support the Maryland Health Security Act as a co-sponsor.
Please help Maryland to lead the way and be the first among the many states where citizens are working to pass a publicly funded and accountable, privately delivered, high quality, affordable, guaranteed universal health system. Support the Maryland Health Security Act!
