Maryland Lawmakers, Insurer Propose Bill for Near-Universal Coverage
Maryland lawmakers and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield on Wednesday outlined a $1.6 billion proposal for near-universal state health care coverage that would require state residents to have insurance and employers to provide it, the Baltimore Sun reports. According to the Sun, the legislation is aimed to help the more than 760,000 state residents, or 14% of the state's population, who are uninsured.
State Delegate Peter Hammen (D) and state Sen. Thomas Middleton (D), who developed the proposal, said the legislation would build on a plan approved in 2007 by the legislature that expanded Medicaid eligibility and extended funding to small businesses to compensate for the cost of providing coverage. The current bill would provide an insurance plan for residents with premiums of about $250 per month, as well as sliding-scale funding for low-income individuals who do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare. Residents who do not get insurance would pay an additional tax of as much as $1,800 annually, while low-income residents would be exempt from the penalty.
Hammen and Middleton said the plan is unlikely to be approved this year, but said they wanted to begin planning for health care reform before the 2010 legislative session. CareFirst CEO Chester Burrell said that proposing the bill, regardless of when it passes, "galvanizes attention and action and study that otherwise would not occur."
The Maryland State Medical Society raised concerns regarding imposing penalties on residents for not purchasing insurance. Also, the Maryland Health Care Commission said the proposal could hurt the insurance market and attract legal challenges. In a position paper, MHCC said that the bill "is not the best option to guide reform" (Smitherman, Baltimore Sun, 3/5).
