Baltimore County, Maryland Passes Medicare for All Resolution
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Baltimore County Council in Maryland passed a resolution 4-3 supporting a Medicare for All national health insurance program.
The resolution states county residents use hospital emergency services for non-emergency care because of lack of access to primary care, particularly for preventable conditions such as asthma and for mental and behavioral health services. The resolution adds residents’ health and well-being is at a “critical crossroads” as the population grows, ages, and diversifies. The county says it will need support from the federal government to meet the healthcare needs of the community.
“”With the passage of Resolution 29-25, Baltimore County is joining a growing call to address the real gaps in our healthcare system”, said Councilman Pat Young, who introduced the resolution. “Far too many residents struggle to access the care they need because of high costs or lack of coverage. This resolution expresses our support for a more equitable approach, one that prioritizes public health and ensures all people, regardless of income or background, can get quality, affordable care.”
“My family is underinsured, so when my father had a medical emergency, it was only cosmic luck that he secured a bed at a local Catholic hospital with an internal charity to help people like us,” said Elijah Sharp of Catonsville. “Now I can’t help but think about all those patients who couldn’t get a bed at St. Agnes and even more people who face serious illness but can’t afford preventative care because they’re uninsured or underinsured. Medicare for All will protect more families like mine and allow us to live healthier and more financially secure lives.”
“As a registered nurse who lives in Baltimore County and works in cardiac surgery for a major hospital system serving this area, I can say that heart disease affects all people and does not discriminate,” said Lauren Noël of Parkville. “Currently, Maryland Emergency Departments have the longest wait times in the country, and the high utilization of emergency services also costs the county money. Medicare for All will allow people like my patients to seek preventative healthcare that will keep them out of emergency rooms.”
Medicare for All would cost less than the current system, saving around 68,000 lives a year while reducing U.S. health care spending by around 13%, or $450 billion a year. The U.S. multi-payer healthcare system, which costs $4.5 trillion annually, is the most expensive in the world, yet has left nearly 30 million Americans without health insurance and millions underinsured.
“The fight for Medicare for All will be won by everyday Americans pushing for the health care system we need at every level of government,” said Public Citizen Healthcare Policy Advocate Eagan Kemp. “This new resolution passed in Baltimore County, Maryland highlights the basic sentiment that healthcare is a human right, that every person in the U.S. should get the care they need when they need it. We hope this resolution will move other cities and counties across the nation to demand Medicare for All.”