Maryland Governor Offers to Boost Health Spending in 2002 Budget Plan

Responding to "accusations that he has neglected fraying" health services, Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening (D) has offered to increase health spending levels in his proposed 2002 budget, the Washington Post reports. In private negotiations with state lawmakers this week, Glendening offered to spend up to $6 million to assist Maryland seniors with prescription drug costs, Senate Finance Committee Chair Thomas Bromwell (D) said (Montgomery, Washington Post, 3/29). Because Glendening believed the prescription drug issue to be a "federal responsibility," he did not originally include money for a benefit in his budget proposal, the Baltimore Sun reports. The new funding offer would come in a supplemental budget expected to be released in the next few days. The Sun reports that Glendening's $6 million offer is "much less" than the amount proposed in a prescription drug bill passed by the Senate (SB 236), though it could still "provide subsidies for tens of thousands of senior citizens and the poor." The Senate bill would provide $20 million in state funds to provide free or discounted medications, while a proposal passed by the House (HB 6) is more "ambitious" and involves insurers, pharmacies and drug manufacturers picking up some of the tab. Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Chair Barbara Hoffman (D) said, "The governor is trying to get the House and Senate committees to agree on an approach" (Barker, Baltimore Sun, 3/29).

Beyond Prescription Drugs
Glendening has also proposed spending between $20 million and $30 million on the state's mental health system. The state Mental Hygiene Administration has a projected debt of $42 million because of a "dramatic increase in the demand for services over the past four years," the Post reports. Money for the mental health system would be raised through "an amnesty program for tax scofflaws that is expected to produce about $30 million," legislative fiscal leaders said. The Post reports that Glendening will not tackle two other health care issues: extra money for Medicaid and increased wages for not-for-profit workers who provide services to people with disabilities. While Glendening spokesperson Michael Morrill would not confirm details of the governor's new spending proposals, he said that a final deal on the funding would depend on the Legislature's agreement to restore funds to some of Glendening's "key initiatives," including mass transit, higher education and anti-sprawl programs (Washington Post, 3/29).