March 12, 2026
Maryland Matters
Danielle J. Brown
Excerpt:
“Tired of seeing drug commercials on television as health care costs continue to rise across the state?
So are some Maryland health care advocates, who are pushing a bill to remove state tax exemptions for pharmaceutical ads, arguing that those funds would be better used to boost health care coverage in Maryland.
“America is one of only two nations – America and New Zealand — that allow direct-to-consumer advertisement by drug corporations,” said Vincent DeMarco, president of Maryland Health Care for All. “There is no reason for Marylanders to subsidize this. We should put care over commercials.”
He was testifying before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Wednesday on Senate Bill 987, Sen. Karen Lewis Young’s (D-Frederick) bill that would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from taking direct-to-consumers advertising expenses off their state corporate tax return.
The move would bring in at least $5 million a year in additional revenue, according to a fiscal note with the bill. The state would be required to dedicate the $5 million to the Department of Health to boost Medicaid eligibility operations, which are expected to need more staff and technological upgrades to keep up with new federal restrictions on who qualifies for the federal health care plan.
Remaining funds would go toward state subsidies on Maryland’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.”
Read the full article at MarylandMatters.org
Last modified: March 13, 2026
