Medicaid: The Entitlement Program Shaping Maryland's Future

By Ron Lindsey
Published on Monday, February 27, 2006
Recent headlines in Maryland that trumpet a potential Maryland billion dollar budget shortfall tell only part of the story of Medicaid in Maryland and miss what is more significant. Although the news is disturbing, the very nature of the Medicaid program suggests even greater budget shortfalls await Maryland in the near future if current trends continue. Medicaid, if left unreformed, will continue to undermine Maryland’s fiscal future. Maryland’s policy makers have no early warning system to alert them to the potential impact of Medicaid on future budgets. With little fanfare, Medicaid has already grown, in a relatively short time, to become the single largest expenditure in most states’ budgets. Maryland is no exception. According to current Medicaid reports, Maryland’s Medicaid spending will double from 1998 to over $5 billion in 2006.1

The Contradictions of Government and Tobacco Use

By Alison Lake
Published on Wednesday, January 18, 2006
For Marylanders who detest cigarette smoke for health or personal reasons and for Marylanders who savor the experience of lighting up a cigarette, state and county tobacco policies are fraught with contradictions. For example:   The Baltimore County sports fan with an allergy to cigarette smoke might not be able to watch a football game in a sports bar unless he drives out of his way to a smoke-free bar in Montgomery, Talbot, or Prince George’s counties.   The smoker living in Montgomery, Talbot, or Prince George’s who pulls out a lighter in a restaurant or bar will be breaking the law unless she takes her offending activity out to the sidewalk.  A state that officially values green space, farming, and its agricultural heritage tries to discourage the activity of farming tobacco, even though tobacco is a lucrative market for farmers and is a cornerstone in the state’s agricultural history.   Maryland taxes cigarettes higher than any other retail product and profits $1.20 for every pack of cigarettes sold.  Of over $400 million received yearly from the states’ tobacco settlement, Maryland spends only $9.2 million on smoking cessation programs.

Covering The Uninsured in Maryland

Futile Gestures or Real Reforms?

By Edmund F. Haislmaier
Published on Friday, January 13, 2006
The debate over extending health insurance coverage to the uninsured is again a major issue in the 2006 session of the Maryland General Assembly. During the 2005 session, the General Assembly passed the Fair Share Health Care Fund Act, which Governor Robert Ehrlich subsequently vetoed.[1] The act was quickly dubbed “the Wal-Mart Bill” because that company is the principle target of the legislation’s sponsors and supporters. The bill’s supporters then persuaded the General Assembly to override the Governor’s veto during the opening days of the 2006 session. [1] The enrolled bill as passed can be found at http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/bills/hb/hb1284e.pdf.  

Pressure on Wal-Mart sends the wrong message

New study questions basis of Wal-Mart Bill

Published on Friday, January 13, 2006
The debate over extending health insurance coverage to the uninsured is again a major issue in the 2006 session of the Maryland General Assembly. During the 2005 session, the General Assembly passed the Fair Share Health Care Fund Act, which Governor Robert Ehrlich subsequently vetoed. The act was quickly dubbed “the Wal-Mart Bill” because that company is the principle target of the legislation’s sponsors and supporters. On January 12, 2006, Maryland lawmakers voted to override Ehrlich’s veto.

Maryland’s 0.05 Percent Solution

Originally Published in the Daily Record

By Thomas A. Firey
Published on Friday, April 29, 2005
It is estimated that as many as 700,000 Marylanders—12.7 percent of the state’s population—have no health insurance. That statistic represents both a private and a public concern: private, because the uninsured are exposed to serious medical and financial risks if they become ill or are injured; public, because unpaid medical expenses often are reimbursed with funds from the public fisc.

With Prescription Drug Reimportation, the Invisible Hand is Tied

Originially Published in the Washington Times

By Alison Lake
Published on Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Benjamin Disraeli once observed, “Free trade is not a principle, it is an expedient.” When it comes to the debate over reimportation of prescription drugs, the free trade of goods and services is not at question. The Montgomery County Council’s plan to reimport prescription drugs for its employees is illegal and is not guaranteed to save money for employees and providers in the long term.

Throwing Money at Maryland’s Med-Mal Problem

By Thomas A. Firey
Published on Sunday, January 09, 2005
Late last month (12/28), Maryland lawmakers were called into special session to amend the state’s medical malpractice laws. Policymaker feared that, without changes, malpractice costs will soon lead to higher health expenses and less access to medical care.

Lots of Money, But No Solution

Originally Published in The Baltimore Sun

By Michael I. Krauss
Published on Monday, December 27, 2004
With state lawmakers scheduled to arrive in Annapolis next Wednesday (12/28) to consider reforming Maryland’s medical malpractice law, Gov. Robert Ehrlich and the state’s top Democratic leaders continue to haggle over what some of those reforms will be.

Maryland's Bold New Idea

Maryland Policy Update No. 2004-1

By David Gratzer, M.D.
Published on Friday, June 18, 2004
Earlier this year, 150 organizations celebrated “Cover the Uninsured Week,” a national campaign to raise awareness about those lacking medical coverage. Some 2,000 events were planned with the subtle hope that Washington would take notice and take action. Several in Congress and the White House are promoting tax credits to help those without health insurance. This idea is clever and meritorious—and completely stalled by partisan bickering.

Certificate of Need is indeed a CON

By Thomas A. Firey
Published on Sunday, May 09, 2004
For the past several months, Washington County residents have followed the clash between the City of Hagerstown and the Antietam Health System over the county's hospital.