Del. Roger Manno (D-19) filed HB 1188, a bill to help current healthcare professionals and professionals in training afford their education in return for their commitment to work for a public not for profit hospital in Maryland. This bill is based in part on suggestions made by HCM's own Alfred Jordan! Please click here for more details.

Low pay fuels physician shortage
By SHANTEE WOODARDS, Staff Writer HometownAnnapolis.com Published February 19, 2009

The state's physician shortage will get worse if lawmakers don't adopt changes that would make Maryland more attractive to doctors, experts said yesterday.

Hundreds of patients, doctors and business leaders turned out for a rally in Annapolis to decry a system that has made Maryland's doctors among the lowest paid in the country.

from mdsinglepayer.org

The *Maryland Health Security Act of 2009* is now available in DRAFT form for public reading and comment. Look through and please give your feedback to conversationcoalition@gmail.com

Join us at one of the following discussion groups. All are welcome! Come and tell us about your vision of health security in the state of Maryland.

Another year nearly over, a year with a historic presidential election which included focus and debate on healthcare reform. Among the policies voters rejected: the "you're on your own" approach to healthcare as articulated by John McCain. Americans overwhelmingly supported a drastically different view of politics and government from that of McCain and Bush and the Republican Party. In short: the Reagan Era is over.

For immediate release June 23, 2008

Contacts:
David Prensky, D.D.S., (561) 242-3424
Quentin Young, M.D., (312) 782-6006, info@pnhp.org
Alison Landes, (561) 488-0095, aslandes@aol.com

The U.S. Conference of Mayors, meeting in Miami, adopted a resolution this morning in support of single-payer national health insurance.

SEVENTH SESSION: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 7:30 PM
St. John's United Methodist Church
St. Paul St. at 27th St., Baltimore

WHAT: One time study sessions on what a single payer health insurance system could look like in the United States. Each month the topic will be the same and we'll cover pretty much the same ground.

THE TOPIC: "Single payer" is a technical sounding term that simply means that only one agency will pay for medical services- this in contrast to the roughly 1500 insurance companies now operating in the US. Private insurance companies would be effectively eliminated from the medical market. The rough model for most single payer advocates in the US is the Canadian system. Another way of simplifying: An expanded and enhanced "Medicare for All."

In Growing Group, More Than Half Are Uninsured
By Donna St. George | The Washington Post

Latinos have emerged as the fastest-growing population group in Montgomery County, and more needs to be done to boost their health and well-being, including improving access to medical care and expanding transportation and bilingual services, a new report says.

The report noted that the best estimates, from 2005, suggest that more than 50 percent of Latinos in the county are uninsured, and about half do not have a primary-care doctor. Among Latinos who had not seen a doctor in the past year, the primary reason was the high cost of care.

The National Mental Health Association reform efforts

For over five years, the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) and its affiliates have worked with coalitions of consumer, family and advocacy groups in 45 states and the District of Columbia to assist them in their policy efforts and train them to become more effective voices for change in the public and private mental health systems.

Thanks to the National Mental Health Association (NMHA)

As insurance companies continue to use managed care techniques such as utilization review--where your insurance company works with your provider to determine if a treatment plan is necessary for your well being--to control health and mental health expenses, consumers must become increasingly knowledgeable of the utilization review and appeals processes in order to effectively fight for the treatment they need and deserve. By following the steps listed below, consumers, family members, and advocates will increase the likelihood that necessary treatment is provided.