Frost Family Pitches Maryland Health Care
The Maryland Health Care for All! Coalition, in its third straight year pushing for universal health care in Maryland, unveil a $50,000 radio spot yesterday in advance of next week's special session of the General Assembly.
Pitching for them this year in the ad and at a news conference today is Baltimore mother, Bonnie Frost, whose 12-year-old son Graeme suffered brain damage in an accident and was enlisted by Democrats this month to promote the federal-state children's health insurance program.
The Frost family was then attacked by some conservative commentators , who questioned whether the family's income was too high to qualify for the children's insurance program. That, in turn, set off questions about what lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did to spread the story.
In Maryland, the House of Delegates passed an ambitious bill last winter that would have used an increase in the tobacco tax to fund health coverage for hundreds of thousands of Marylanders, but the Senate blocked it. Senate leaders and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) said the state needed to close a projected deficit before considering a new program.
The tobacco tax increase is now back, part of the governor's deficit-closing package the legislature will take up next week. It would eventually fund expanded health coverage.
"There's growing consensus for this, but we're not taking anything for granted," said Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative
By Phyllis Jordan |
October 22, 2007; 7:55 AM ET
| Category:
Lisa Rein
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Posted by: RoseG | October 21, 2007 12:02 PM
With their multiple properties and children attending exclusive private schools, the Frost's are proof that there is no need to expand SCHIP to cover wealthier families.
Q. Since when is asking questions based upon facts considered at "attack?"
A. When you gore some Leftist's ox, that's when.
Posted by: Rufus | October 22, 2007 4:10 PM
The problem with expanding the Maryland Children's Health Program (MCHP) is that it is already covering middle class families (up to 300% of the federal poverty level). It is likely that any compromise SCHIP legislation that passes Congress will bar (or severely restrict) federal funds that can be used to expand these programs above 300% of FPL. That means the federal money currently used as primary funding for MCHP will not exist for any expansion. At a time when we are facing a huge deficit, it is ridiculous to ask the taxpayers of Maryland to shoulder an even heavier burden.
Posted by: MK | October 23, 2007 9:38 AM
Or we could continue with our current Republican beloved health care solution, "Don't get sick."
Posted by: InMoCo | October 23, 2007 4:18 PM
Bad news, InMoCo: the government is not your parent nor are you its child. Grow up and earn a living.
Posted by: Rufus | October 24, 2007 10:27 AM
InMoCo, good point! We must not let America be held back by GOP types scrooging healthcare from American children. These Bushie wet-blankets will continue to degrade America's position of leadership in the world. I wonder how much will be left of America's greatness, by inauguration day 2009? We can only try to keep Maryland ahead of the curve (in healthcare and other areas) until then.
Posted by: Donny | October 29, 2007 10:05 AM
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I wish they would find a more representative family to pitch this program. The Frost family owns property and a small business and has a number of children.
Looking at the profile of SCHIP children in Maryland most families only have one child, and move off the program because the parents begin to earn more money.
The later set of children would do a much better job of generating public sympathy and support for this program -- single parents working at low-income jobs, seeking coverage for their children until they move up enough to get a better job where coverage is offered with employment.