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Action Alert - Take Action Now! Contact Your State Senator and Members of the Senate Finace Committee |
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We know that legislators in the House chamber of the General Assembly, including the leadership, are in favor of expanding coverage for the uninsured and will soon be sending a bill to the House floor. However, the Senate is a different story. In particular, we need to convince Senate President Mike Miller of the importance and urgency of covering more of the currently almost 800,000 Marylanders who are uninsured.
Here is what you need to do right now:
Dear Senator______ (or President Miller): I am writing to ask your support for legislation that will provide more Marylanders with health insurance. As you know, far too many people in our state are uninsured and the numbers of uninsured continue to grow each year. We all pay for the costs of treating the uninsured - $1.47 billion each year - and these costs continue to rise. If you support a $1.00 increase in the tobacco tax on cigarettes you will help cover some 60,000 currently uninsured people. The tobacco tax is a proven, reliable funding stream for health programs and services in other states. The tobacco tax is also a sensible public health measure. It reduces and prevents adult and teen smoking. And it lowers the health care costs resulting from smoking-caused illnesses. By raising the cost of cigarettes, we will prevent future illness and save the state millions of dollars. More a user’s fee than a tax - it benefits almost everyone. The proposed $1.00 per pack increase will expand Maryland Medicaid. By expanding Medicaid coverage, Maryland would benefit from receiving additional federal dollars. Furthermore, the additional revenue would also help reduce the state’s budget deficit. Please give your support to legislation that will help Maryland do the right thing and cover more of our uninsured people.
Thank you.
To find your own senator go to www.mdelect.net To contact Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller:
And, be sure to let the members of the Senate Finance Committee hear from you:
John Astle (D-30)
john.astle@senate.state.md.us WE ALL NEED TO ACT NOW!
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