The Baltimore Banner
June 1, 2023
Op-Ed, Vincent DeMarco
Excerpt:
The Affordable Care Act, which became law in 2010, was a landmark moment in the quest to ensure access to health care for all Americans, expanding health coverage to more than 400,000 Marylanders, which reduced our uninsured rate from 12% to 6%.
But the work did not end with ACA passage, and Maryland has subsequently taken a series of important steps to strengthen our health care system. A key moment came in 2019, when the Maryland General Assembly passed two measures sponsored by Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk and Sens. Kathy Klausmeier and Brian Feldman that are transforming the health care landscape here and nationally.
One measure established the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board, the first of its kind in the nation, and charged it with making high-cost drugs more affordable for state and local governments and developing plans to bring down the cost of expensive, lifesaving medications for all of us.
The second measure established the Maryland Easy Enrollment Health Insurance Program, which allows people to start the process of signing up for health insurance by checking a box on their state income tax returns.
Read the full op-ed at The Baltimore Banner.
Last modified: June 7, 2023
