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Dear Friends,
Today marks the opening of the Maryland Health Connection, the state’s health insurance exchange and a major provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The health exchange is a state program that helps individuals—including those who are uninsured or underinsured--compare benefits and premiums of dozens of different insurance plans and purchase affordable coverage that’s best for them. This represents a new day in healthcare because 1) no one can be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition, 2) lifetime caps on healthcare expenses are eliminated, 3) insurers will no longer be able to cancel coverage when you get sick, and 4) women can no longer be charged more than men for the same coverage. As a preventive medicine physician, I am a firm believer that healthcare is a right for everyone, not a privilege for only those who can afford it. The rising costs of health insurance and increasing number of uninsured individuals that we saw over the last few decades were simply unsustainable, and so these changes we’re beginning to see are a significant improvement to our healthcare system. While the ACA was passed by Congress, many of the changes we’re seeing are being led by state governments and legislatures who are managing these health exchanges, setting minimum standards for coverage, and ensuring that insurers are not price hiking their premiums. I’m running for state delegate because I believe that we need to have a physician in the legislature who can make sure our health programs have proper oversight and funding, that patients receive the care that they need, and doctors are able to practice the best possible medicine for their communities. Many of you have asked where individuals can get help enrolling in the health exchange. I serve on the board of directors of Healthy Howard, a groundbreaking program that ensured access to Howard County residents who did not have healthcare, which has now been designated as one of six organizations in Maryland with trained, dedicated staff known as "Navigators" and "Assistors" that can help with enrollment. Healthy Howard is geared up and ready to help, so if you live in Howard County and have questions about the exchange, please visit their website at DoorToHealthCare.org or contact them by phone at 855-288-DOOR. Healthcare is a service that we all utilize. And until now, we were all potentially one accident or disease away from catastrophic medical bills or becoming uninsured. Today marks the end of that era, and I think we are all better for it. 
Authority: Friends of Clarence Lam | Melissa A. Tarkett, Treasurer
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