Graham-Cassidy is bad for Maryland, and the whole country – The Baltimore Sun

Read the original letter in The Baltimore Sun.

We at the Maryland Health Care For All Coalition commend our two U.S. senators, Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, for strongly opposing the disastrous new Senate proposal to gut the Affordable Care Act and deny health care to hundreds of thousands of Marylanders and millions of Americans. We also commend Gov. Larry Hogan for describing the so-called Graham-Cassidy bill as “not a solution” for Maryland (Hogan opposes latest version of Obamacare repeal bill,” Sept. 19).

The fact is that the Medicaid program, which this proposal would decimate, has saved the lives of many Marylanders and helped many others lead better lives. We are holding forums across the state to highlight people who have benefited from Medicaid, and their stories are really moving. See www.healthcareforall.com for more information on these forums.

In addition, we all benefit from the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion because, as reported by the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, it has resulted in big drop in uncompensated hospital care, which has translated into health insurance premiums for most people going up much more slowly than before the ACA. Instead of trying to weaken health care coverage, we should work together to strengthen the ACA in order to achieve our common goal of quality, affordable health care for all Marylanders.

Vincent DeMarco, Baltimore