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Howard Seeks To Be 1st in State with Health Care for All residents

(Baltimore Examiner) -- Howard is leading the state in a plan to provide access to health care for thousands of uninsured county residents.

“It’s not the poorest of the poor who are uninsured,” said Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard’s health officer.

“Many are working in small businesses that tend to have small profit margins and can’t afford high premiums for health care coverage.”

Eighty-four percent of uninsured residents in Maryland are working people or members of working families, he said.

Uninsured Howard residents will have access to primary and preventative health care through participating clinics and doctors, according to the proposal that will be unveiled Oct. 16.

The plan is not insurance but provides affordable services to people who are uninsured for a small fee, Beilenson said.

“The point is that in the wealthiest country in the world, it’s absolutely unconscionable that 47 million Americans do not have health care,” he said.

“And in Maryland, the wealthiest state in the country, there are 80,000 uninsured residents, and the state is doing nothing about it.”

The Horizon Foundation, a philanthropy committed to community health and wellness, has participated in the planning of the health care initiative, which has come together during the past two months.

Health care is a national problem, and local jurisdictions suffer from lack of federal resources, the foundation’s president and CEO Richard Krieg said.

“We’re not looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. This is a very innovative but also very pragmatic plan,” Krieg said.

“It’s not just getting someone in to see the doctor, but looking at how to keep that person healthy. We’ll be working directly with patients and their families.”

The health care initiative will combine funding from individuals, foundations, the county and health institutions, Beilenson said.

Several issues, such as calibrating payments and establishing the type of services offered, are still in the works, Krieg said.

“We set out to create the model public health community,” said County Executive Ken Ulman, who hopes the initiative will be replicated by other counties.

“We would be the first county in the state to do this and in the country, as far as the comprehensive plan.”

BY THE NUMBERS

» The United States has 47 million uninsured residents.

» Maryland has 767,000 uninsured residents.

» Howard County has between 18,000 and 20,000 uninsured residents.

Source: U.S. Census data