Received this e-mail today from Ben Jealous’ (D. MD) gubernatorial campaign:
Two headlines came out in The Baltimore Sun earlier this week:
Maryland analysts: Single-payer health care, proposed by Jealous, could cost state $24 billion a year
That was the first one. It's pretty misleading, but we'll get to that -- the other headline was from an editorial published shortly after.
$24 billion for single payer in Maryland sounds like a lot -- until you consider how much we spend now
Aside from the fact that these "analysts" have many caveats about the actual assumed cost of my plan, the fact of the matter is that what we spend right now in Maryland on private health insurance isn't so far off from $24 billion, and like the Sun said in their editorial: "The efficiencies and bargaining power of a single-payer system might narrow -- if not eliminate or exceed -- the gap."
Larry Hogan is a governor who believes that anything new, progressive, or forward-thinking is flat-out dangerous. That's not what I believe, and I don't think that's what Maryland believes either. Our families and small businesses can't afford the status quo which is why I'm fighting for better -- add your name if you're ready for Medicare-for-All.
Governor Hogan would have you believe that we can't do any better than rising premiums and outrageous prescription drug costs. We all know that's not true.
While he's peddling small ideas, I'll continue to press forward with detailed plans to move us toward a stronger Maryland. That includes building upon our current all-payer system to get a much better deal for the money we already spend on healthcare.
And plenty of people agree with that -- including National Nurses United, who believe like I do that healthcare is a moral and economic imperative that we can no longer ignore. Larry Hogan and the GOP would have you believe that makes you a "communist," and anything aside from the status quo is simply "too risky."
I know that Medicare-for-All will mean better care for less cost, and I know that scares Larry Hogan. But we need to show a strong, united front if we want it -- add your name right now to say you're ready for Medicare-for-All.
Thank you,
Ben