Story on innovative health care access plan being unveiled in Howard County, Md.

1. BALTIMORE
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T H U R S DAY, O C T O B E R 2 , 2 0 0 8 BA
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Health care enrollment opens
NEWSMAKERS
DAVID SALTER
David Salter is
for uninsured Howard residents
the new assistant
vice president for
marketing and
communications at
the College of Notre
By Josh Kowalkowski
Dame of Maryland Examiner Staff Writer
in Baltimore City.
He is responsible for
Reginald Dupree is one of thou-
the college’s overall marketing efforts,
sands of Howard County residents
from publications to advertising to Web
waiting to have health insurance.
design, according to a news release.
His wait is finally over.
Dupree became one of the first to
enroll in the county’s new innova-
JOHN ROBERT RAY tive health care access plan, the first
John Robert Ray took the oath of office
of its kind in the country, to bring
Wednesday to become the ninth fire
health care coverage for about 2,200
chief of the Anne Arundel County Fire
uninsured residents.
Department, where he’s served since
“I need affordable health care and
1977. Ray’s experience in fire and rescue
that was the most important thing,”
service spans more than 30 years and
said Dupree, 39, of Columbia, a truck
includes being on incident management
driver. “You can’t afford to not go to
teams for the Olympics, working with the
the doctor and just sit home sick.
U.S. Secret Service on Presidential details
It’s too risky.”
and serving as a company grade officer,
County Executive Ken Ulman and
command level officer and deputy chief
Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson
in the fire department. He took the oath
officially opened enrollment at the
at Henry L. Hein Public Safety Building
East Columbia branch of the How-
Auditorium in Glen Burnie.
ard County Library on Wednesday,
where residents can enroll using a
Web-based program.
ONLY ON “It’s based on the philosophy
BALTIMOREEXAMINER.COM that health care is a right but also a
» Paella is one of those dishes that responsibility,” Beilenson said.
looks as good as it is to eat. So, when All enrolled members will have a
Examiner Correspondent Walaika personal health coach, who will work
Haskins saw Rick Bayless take the dish with the patient and physician, to
outside and prepare it for a group of develop a health action plan based
ARIANNE STARNES/EXAMINER
friends on a PBS series, she had to on their needs, said Elizabeth Edsall
Reginald Dupree, of Columbia, left, works with Glenn Schneider, director of health policy and planning with the Howard
duplicate the experience. She shares Kromm, director of the Division of
County Health Department, to enroll in the Healthy Howard Access Plan on Wednesday after an event that kicked off the
her paella recipe with stunning pictures Outreach and Support Services
insurance plan at the Howard County Library East Columbia Branch in Columbia.
as a perfect way to end the summer with the Howard County Health
grilling season and kick off the fall – with Department.
a paella party. “We all want to eat better and department funding and $1 million
Costs
work out more,” she said. “But what in anticipated grant funding.
makes this hard is not having a plan Eligibility requirements for the
Costs associated with the Healthy Howard Access Plan:
CITY HEARTS to figure out the barriers to healthy plan include being a county resident
» $50 to $85 a month for one person » $50 for up to three urgent care
living.” and at least 19 years old but younger
for those earning up to three times visits;
The health coach could have than 64.
» $100 for a non-crisis emergency
the federal poverty level;
expertise in such areas as physi- Residents have to have been with-
» Up to $115 a month for a couple; room visit, but waived, if admitted.
cal fitness, nutrition, social work or out health insurance for a minimum
» No cost for up to six primary care
nursing, she said. of six months before applying, health
Source: Howard County Health
physician visits for men and seven
The plan is also unique in its department officials said.
Department
visits for women;
ability to reach the working-class There are also household income
population; those in poverty already limitations. A family of four, for
qualify for Medicaid, Beilenson instance, must have a maximum
explained. nevertheless, there’s a segment of 800,000 in Maryland and 46 million income of $63,600, with some excep-
“I have to give County Executive the population without health care, in the country, officials said. tions provided.
Ulman credit,” said Rep John Sar- and he wants to help them get cov- The plan, projected to cost $2.8 Enrollment will continue over the
banes, D-District 3. erage.” million in its first fiscal year, is being next few months. Clinical and coach-
“With Howard, you have a juris- It’s estimated there are around funded through the participation ing services begin Jan. 1, 2009.
diction that is pretty well off, but 20,000 uninsured county residents, fees, donations, county and health jkowalkowski@baltimoreexaminer.com
O’Malley says $400 million in budget cuts might trim local aid
THE KOMEN MARYLAND
RACE FOR THE CURE
is searching for volunteers on race
sented to Kopp and Comptroller with cutting the operating budget the early 1990s until departments
By Len Lazarick
day, Oct. 19. The race was held
Peter Franchot before the Oct. because state revenues are $432 like local library hours were cut,
Examiner Staff Writer
in Hunt Valley for the first time in
15 meeting of the Board of Public million lower than was estimated and then they were surprised that
2007, and the number of regis-
Gov. Martin O’Malley bemoaned Works on which they all serve. when the budget was passed in the any state funding was involved at
trants increased by 30 percent.
the $400 million in budget cuts he He has asked his Cabinet secre- spring. all.
“We need the number of volunteers
will be proposing in two weeks, taries to propose up to 5 percent in O’Malley has his hands tied in O’Malley jokingly implied he
to keep pace with the growth in the
and suggested that cuts in local reductions to their budgets. a lot of areas in the budget where might call in sick for the Oct. 15
number of registrants,” said Patrick
aid for libraries, police, jails and “There’s no way that we can do funding is driven by mandates meeting scheduled to “do the
Drabinski, public relations director
other items might be a part of the 400 [million] without touching signed into law that require certain parade of horrible,” but “I rarely
for Komen Maryland.
package. things that we have been able to funding levels, such as $5.3 billion get sick.”
The Komen Maryland Race for
“We spent three hours [working] spare” in previous budget trims, in aid for public schools. llazarick@baltimoreexaminer.com
the Cure is the largest single-day
on these cuts,” O’Malley told state O’Malley said. Kopp praised O’Malley for being
fundraising event in the state.
Treasurer Nancy Kopp at an infor- The meeting with his staff “very good” at looking at areas that
Komen Maryland anticipates that
mal session before Wednesday’s covered “three hours of no good did not have an obvious impact on
35,000 registrants will participate
Board of Public Works meeting in choices,” he said. state services and that “people
in the race in Hunt Valley.
Annapolis. The question is “what people don’t notice.”
O’Malley said there would be can we hurt the least.” She recalled that as a state del-
For more information or to volun-
“another meeting or two” before More than three months into egate, her constituents didn’t pick
teer, visit komenmd.org.
the cuts are finalized, then pre- the budget year, O’Malley is faced up on the state budget problems in