What is the greatest health care challenge facing Maryland today, and how do you plan to address it?
Affordability and access to healthcare and lack of beds and providers. All citizens should be provided appropriate healthcare coverage and providers should be well- paid. In addition, I believe that we need to assist and subsidize medical expansion, including training and retention. In our city hospitals, one of the biggest problems with recruitment is the perception of increased crime in the area.
Reimbursement schedules must also kept competitive - particularly with regard to mental health and disabilities care.
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 total cost of care model has seen challenges during the pandemic. I believe that my job as a legislator is to listen to all the primary stakeholders; physicians, administrators and patients to ensure that our Hospital System stays strong and support improvements where necessary.
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?
I agree that there is a real problem with both recruitment and retention in our healthcare system. I have successfully worked on legislation to address this issue in other fields such as education and child care, and believe many of the same principles can be helpful here. The state is actually subsidizing recruitment and retention bonuses in some professions and loan forgiveness to incentivize those coming to work in high need areas. We also need to work harder to reach students and make sure that they are exposed to jobs in the healthcare field. Long-term, improvement of our schools and safety of our communities are all important components of recruitment.
How would you increase availability of and access to health care for Marylanders?
I would support a single payer hybrid model of healthcare that is well organized and efficiently operated. It is also imperative that we make sure that reimbursements are high enough that we do not lose more practitioners! The General Assembly has increased the scope of practice for health care providers such as PA nd NP and I would continue to support that effort when appropriate. Our efforts to build a strong system of community schools with wrap around health services will also help families access needed care. In addition, new legislation requiring a behavioral health contact in school systems is intended to identify and increase access to services.
What policies will you pursue to improve health for all Marylanders? Please also consider the social determinants of health?
I have worked very hard to pass legislation improving early identification and services for people with disabilities. I also will continue to fight for mental/behavioral health and addiction supports for all Marylanders. There are certainly community antecedents for health problems, including poverty, lack of healthy nutritional options, and environmental pollution. I am committed to continuing to work on these root causes of illness and disease.
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 addition to a strong single payer model, I also support legal action against pharmaceutical companies for price gouging. The state should work harder to negotiate prices with pharma and to subsidize drug prices when the lives of Marylanders depend on them.
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?
Tort reform, particularly placing caps on pain and suffering, is very important to pursue. It seems that the percentage paid a malpractice lawyer is negotiable by contract and my not be appropriate for legislation. I would be willing to learn more about this issue, however. For full disclosure, my husband is often an expert witness in these cases, usually for defendents. Certainly malpractice insurance cost is a serious concern for my family as well.
What are your priorities should you be elected, not confined to health care?
Much of my work is associated with mental and behavioral healthcare and disabilities supports. I serve on the Education committee and also work on job training and world class educational opportunities for our students. I have passed many of my priority initiatives and will focus more on early trauma and intervention in the coming session.