What is the greatest health care challenge facing Maryland today, and how do you plan to address it?
There is no one single challenge facing Maryland in the health care field today, but a number of connected and overlapping challenges that create difficulties for access to care for our residents.
Immediately, we are still dealing with the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, experiencing a severe workforce shortage, and continue to see cost barriers to accessing needed care, both somatic and behavioral.
We need to work to make healthcare more affordable, in the short term by supporting and expanding the health benefit exchange and the re-insurance program, but in the long-term looking for more direct and robust options for coverage.
We need to work to ensure that more people are able to access medical professions through academic programs and tuition assistance, and also by focusing on underserved areas and expand on the various needs gaps in those areas.
Maryland’s hospitals operate under a unique contract with the federal government that promotes community, equity, and value. It also contributes significantly to Maryland's economy. How do you plan to support the continued success of the Maryland Model?
"The ""Maryland Model"" or ""All Payer Model"" is absolutely unique in the country and has successfully worked to provide top notch care to Marylanders for over 40 years. In the next legislative term, the contract with CMS will once again come due and it will be incumbent upon the next Governor's administration and the legislature to make sure that contract or MOU is renewed in the most advantageous way possible for our residents.
We will need to analyze what has been working, and what might need adjusting in order to make sure that our hospitals have the resources they need, patients are able to access the care they need, and our ability to deliver healthcare in every corner of the State is robust."
Maryland is experiencing a shortage of health care practitioners, especially nurses, that we project will worsen in the years ahead. How do you plan to address the immediate crisis and what will you do to make sure we have a robust and sustainable health care workforce pipeline?
We do have a shortage of health care practitioners, as I stated above. Not just nurses, but we are also seeing an acute shortage of behavioral health professionals, both in the medical fields as well as school-based professionals as well.
There are a series of ways to try and address this issue, from adjusting academic program to better serve working professionals, lowering tuition, and improving tuition assistance and repayment programs. We must also ensure that the pay and benefits are suited to the current cost of living within the State.
However, we will not be able to implement any of this and more, if we do not come together and agree that this is a priority, both professionally and politically. Healthcare workers have faced unprecedented harassment and animosity in what has been the most difficult two years in the healthcare industry in modern times. If we are to solve this problem, we need to reinstate respect and self-care for healthcare professionals (among others) if we are to see the industry rebound.
How would you increase availability of and access to health care for Marylanders?
With well over 90% of all Marylanders with health care coverage, the focus needs to shift to reducing (or preferably eliminating) all out of pocket costs and expanding healthcare practices to every corner of the State. There is no good in having health coverage if you can still not afford to go or don't have access to the specific health care professional you need at the time you need them.
Over 50% of all Marylanders have health care coverage through the government - whether it is as a result of federal, state, or local employment, a federal or state provider coverage program (like Medicare, Medicaid, or TriCare), or as a result of whole or partial subsidy through the exchange. It's time to start reconsidering the traditional models for how and why we pay for healthcare and what the most efficient way to deliver care is.
What policies will you pursue to improve health for all Marylanders? Please also consider the social determinants of health?
During my time in the legislature, I have worked to expand funding for care, reforming licensing restrictions, and worked to provider better care. I will continue to do those things, as well as continue my efforts to expand educational opportunities at every level to help grow our health care professions, and provide more funding for research to develop new and innovative ways to deliver care.
How do you plan to address consumers' growing exposure to health care costs, such as high deductible health plans and rising prescription drug prices in Maryland?
In part, we have addressed these issues through the reinsurance program at the health benefit exchange which has allowed consumers to pick higher ""metal"" plans which have significantly lower out of pocket costs, and have passed the first in the nation Prescription Drug Affordability Board to address the costs of medication.
These are good steps, and with a new Administration, I suspect we will see much more effective implementation of these programs.
However, these are just a start. As mentioned previously, over 50% of Marylanders already get their healthcare funded in whole or in part by government. Overall, these programs provide significantly better coverage and care, and we need to find ways to expand on these existing plans to address the issues concerned.
Maryland’s worsening medical liability climate, as noted in a recent independent report, threatens access to, and affordability of, health care services in Maryland. Plaintiffs’ attorneys typically take 40% of a medical malpractice judgment. Do you support limiting attorneys’ fees so that the affected individuals can receive more of their settlement or judgment? What additional reforms would you support that balance supporting individuals and families harmed by medical malpractice with ensuring continued access to services in a community?
I have always maintained that a balanced approaching to medical malpractice liability should be the focus of our policies at the State level. Patients harmed in the care of a facility or professional, whether intentionally, carelessly, or accidently, should be compensated and cared for. In addition, we should also not bankrupt medical professionals and limit our ability to deliver care.
I have always help to this belief and have worked to limit the ability of attorneys to expand their compensation formulas, allow for non-practicing professionals to serve as expert witnesses, and have supported care funds, such as the brain injury fund, to limit the amount of time these cases go to court.
I will continue to maintain this balanced approach in order to ensure that our residents get the best care and are compensated for injuries in the most fair way.
What are your priorities should you be elected, not confined to health care?
My focus has been disproportionately on healthcare during my time in the legislature, and I will continue to work to expand health care access and limit costs, provide for necessary funding, and improve the overall picture of health in the State.
I will also continue my efforts to reform and refine our State's procurement process so that tax dollars are used efficiently and fairly, work to expand government transparency, work to ensure a functioning and fair social safety net system for our State's most vulnerable, and expand access to the ballot box to ensure that every Marylander entitled to cast a ballot has every opportunity to do so.