Governor O'Malley called the MD General Assembly to a Special Legislative Session to solve the looming 1.7 Billion Dollar Budget Deficit on October 29th.

The MNC gave testimony, in support of the Governor's Working Families Health Care Bill and the Tobacco Tax Bill which expanded healthcare access to thousands of Marylander.  These bills passed both Houses, bringing the successful 2007  Special Legislative Session for Marylanders to a close. 

The MNC also gave testimony in  opposition of the bill to take important Medicaid Funds away from poor children on November 6th. Please see the testimony near the bottom of the page.

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During the 2007 Regular Legislative Session that ended on April 9, 2007, there were several issues which affect healthcare or tuition for nursing students which were considered.

The following are a list of Winners and Losers for the 2007 Legislative Session:

Winning issues for the Legislative Session were-

  • Stem cell research money went up, from $15 million to $23 million per year
  • Clean Car Emissions passed to reduce cancer causing car emissions to improve our air quality
  • A freeze was placed on tuition at colleges which helps nursing students pay for their nursing education
  • RN-BSN and BSN-MS Nursing Students may now receive need based money for taking nursing courses part-time
  • Smoking in restaurants and bars was banned to improve air quality
  • Living wages passed, as those with higher incomes are better able to afford healthcare
  • Only one interview and examination is allowed for children who may have been the victims of child abuse. Examiners will now only examine the child once to reduce further stress on the child.

Losing Issues of the Legislative Session were fewer but they were-

  • An increase in tobacco tax by $1 to help insured all of the uninsured children and adults in Maryland failed to pass 
  • Prince Georges’ County Hospital as Dimensions Healthcare refused to accept the state’s deal over control of the hospital, in exchange for the bailout. The Hospital is now facing bankruptcy. Update: a bail out has been negotiated. 

 

       

THE MARYLAND NURSES COALITION

IN SUPPORT OF SB 6 / HB 6

WORKING FAMILIES AND SMALL BUSINESS HEALTH COVERAGE ACT

BEFORE THE

SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND

HOUSE HEALTH AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE

NOVEMBER 1, 2007

            On behalf of the 60,000 plus Registered Nurses in Maryland we ask that you fully support Governor O’Malley’s Working Families and Small Business Health Coverage Act” of 2007 and we urge the Maryland General Assembly to pass this measure during this 2007 Special Session.

       Expanding healthcare solves our State’s future financial burdens by preventing diseases before they occur which are expensive to treat; and preventing hospitals from entering bankruptcy proceedings because they are not receiving reimbursement for the care they provide sick people. This bill is clearly financially prudent and socially responsible.

 

      Nurses recognize our natural fit as advocates for Governor O’Malley healthcare plan, because of the work we do, taking care of very sick and terminally-ill people. This is why Nurses are consistently voted the Most Trusted Profession in the U.S. Gallup Public Opinion Polls. For these reasons and the other important issues raised by our partners in the Healthy Maryland Coalition, we urge your support of Governor O’Malley Working Families and Small Business Health Coverage Act during this Special Legislative Session.

 

 

Respectfully submitted by Gil Genn on behalf of the Maryland Nurses Coalition.

 

 

THE MARYLAND NURSES COALITION

IN SUPPORT OF  SB 2 / HB 2 BEFORE THE

SENATE BUDGET AND TAXATION COMMITTEE,

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE AND

HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE

NOVEMBER 1, 2007

 

 

      On behalf of the 60,000 plus Registered Nurses in Maryland, we ask that you fully support Governor O’Malley’s proposed $1 per pack increase in the State cigarette tax. We also urge the Maryland General Assembly to pass this measure during this 2007 Special Session.

 

      Increasing the tobacco tax is not a new idea. Several states have just passed similar legislation. Increasing the tobacco tax is financially prudent and socially responsible as it allows a much needed expansion for healthcare with a tax from a drug that causes tremendous illness.

 

      Expanding healthcare solves our State’s future financial burdens by preventing diseases before they occur which are expensive to treat; and preventing hospitals from entering bankruptcy proceedings because they are not receiving reimbursement for the care they provide sick people.

 

      We know how successful tobacco tax increases will be in Maryland from our own personal experiences. Nurses recognize our natural fit as advocates for Governor O’Malley healthcare plan, because of the work we do, taking care of very sick and terminally-ill people. This is why Nurses are consistently voted the Most Trusted Profession in the U.S. Gallup Public Opinion Polls. For these reasons and the other important issues raised by our partners in the Healthy Maryland Coalition, we urge your support of the tobacco tax during this Special Legislative Session.

 

Respectfully submitted by Gil Genn on behalf of the Maryland Nurses Coalition.

 

 

 

 

MARYLAND NURSES COALITION

OPPOSITION TESTIMONY -  SB 26

SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE

NOVEMBER 6, 2007

 

      On behalf of the 60,000 plus Registered Nurses in Maryland, we ask that you totally oppose SB 26, to limit children and pregnant woman access to healthcare.

 

      There is a tremendous amount of research that gives undisputable statistics that S-CHIP saves children’s lives and is cost-effective for states. In fact, there is so much research on this issue that everyone, not just healthcare professionals, knows the importance of providing healthcare to the working poor.

 

      For our written testimony, we will not identify new research articles or quote these statistics. Instead, our written testimony will be about a real life scenario. I attended nursing school twenty years ago, before S-CHIP was expanded to cover children 200% below the poverty line. As a result, thousands of Maryland’s children were forced to forego healthcare as a result. During that time, one of my clinical training experiences was in an Emergency Room.

 

      One morning a man brought his son to the Emergency Room for care. The 3-year-old little boy had a high fever and blood coming out of his ear. The doctor said that his ear was severely infected and that his eardrum had ruptured. He asked the Father, who was a hard working construction worker, how long his son had been sick. The father responded that he had been sick for about 5 days and they had not taken him to the doctor because they could not afford it. The father went on to say that they were hoping that he would recover by himself. The boy ended up having to stay in the hospital and ultimately lost part of his hearing as a result of this untreated infection.

 

      Today, that scenario is no longer uncommon as approximately 100,000 children in the State of Maryland are uninsured. They comprise the vast majority of individuals who do not have healthcare in Maryland.

 

      If this bill passes, Maryland will lose its ranking as the richest state in the nation. We will no longer be able to boast world renowned healthcare but rather the blight of severe disparities, deformities, and chronic ailments which have resulted from child poverty where the results can be seen it there entirety by going to:

http://www.acy.org/policy_news/news_document1173799550.doc .


     Respectfully submitted by Gil Genn on behalf of the Maryland Nurses Coalition.