By Vincent DeMarco, President, Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund, Inc.
Maryland’s Representative-Elect Andy Harris, who opposed health care
for people as a state senator and a candidate for Congress, is now demanding
government-subsidized health care for himself a month early.
Maybe he will learn what it would be like for the
millions of Americans, and hundreds of thousands of Marylanders, who would be
without health care indefinitely if he got his way and the new federal health
care law was repealed.
(Click here to view the story that aired on Baltimore’s NBC station.)
We at the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative have long
known that state Senator Andy Harris does not support state or federal health
care reform. This was evident when he voted against the 2007 Medicaid expansion
in Maryland that provided health care to over 65,000 parents in our state.
While on the campaign trail, Harris continually reiterated his commitment to
repeal the federal health reform law that will expand health care to hundreds
of thousands of Marylanders and save the state a billion dollars in health care
costs.
Harris’ remarks further indicate that he is out-of-touch
with the tough reality many families face when struggling to obtain or maintain
affordable coverage for their families.
Fortunately the Affordable Care Act goes a long way toward protecting
consumers from insurance company abuses and toward helping employers afford
health care benefits for their employees. We hope that this experience will
serve as a valuable lesson for the representative-elect when he takes office in
January. This is a great opportunity for the newly elected Congressman to work with his colleagues to
support legislation which will help make comprehensive coverage immediately
accessible and affordable for his constituents and working families across the
country.
The views expressed by Guest Bloggers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center for Children and Families.