Health care equity should be high on the Annapolis agenda
Like The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board (“Maryland General Assembly watch: A to-do list for 2023,” Jan. 10), I hope that Gov.-elect Wes Moore’s administration will follow his slogan to “leave no one behind” and focus its attention on the need to address “poverty, health disparities and long-standing inequities.” Unfortunately, there has been relative inaction on these issues over the last eight years. The result is that Maryland, which has historically led on health care reform, now lags behind other states. This is not acceptable.
In 2020, the General Assembly took steps to take on these issues directly by establishing the Maryland Commission on Health Equity. The goal is to address the underlying causes, including systemic racism, that are endemic to our current inequitable systems. As a member of the Commission’s policy committee, I am optimistic that the new administration will seize this opportunity to address the issues head on.
Based upon the successful work being undertaken in other states and to support a successful plan for Maryland, I encourage our new leaders to consider creating a Governor’s Council on Racial Equity and Health Justice. This body would provide a number of critical tools for success including the structure and authority to support an all-of-government approach. That is critical if Maryland is to take on structural racism and reverse the inequities that have become endemic over time. Just one example of why this is required is the need to standardize the processes and procedures across all agencies — whether it is the language used in public documents or the data to be collected and analyzed. Washington state is achieving this with its Office of Equity promoting “Equity and Inclusion for All.”
It is time for Maryland to step up and do more than to increase access to health insurance. Yes, that is vital, but we all know that just having an insurance card does not mean that an individual knows how to use it. And it certainly doesn’t ensure that they can actually access care that meets their personal circumstances when and where they need it.