Letter to the Editor
December 24, 2008

With budgets on the chopping block, one area the state should not cut is health care coverage ("'Devastating' state revenue report may mean cuts in public safety, education," Dec. 17). Here's why: As Maryland expands Medicaid coverage including preventive care, data from other states are showing that expanding health insurance can lead to costs savings down the road.

Massachusetts adopted an ambitious program in 2006 that provides incentives for business and individuals to expand health insurance coverage. Now, 440,000 more Massachusetts residents have insurance.

After two years, the state's cost for unpaid care at emergency rooms, hospitals and community health centers dropped roughly 40 percent.

Oregon provides a cautionary tale for states going the opposite direction.

In 2003, the state reduced its health coverage, leaving 50,000 fewer people on Medicaid. After these changes, the number of visits by uninsured residents to the state's emergency rooms rose from 6,682 per month in 2002 to 9,058 per month in 2004.

Many patients walking into the emergency room could have been spared considerable suffering, as well as expense, if they had received regular, preventive care.

Tough economic times translate into state budget problems, and some people are now calling call for cuts in Maryland's newly expanded Medicaid program.

But expanding health insurance, whether through state-sponsored plans or incentives for business and individuals to provide insurance, can save Maryland lives and money.

With the new Medicaid expansion program adopted in the last legislative session, our state is on a healthy, fiscally responsible road.

Dr. Dan Morhaim and Vincent DeMarco