Candidates and Healthcare — A Guide to the Maryland Primary
Abortion and covid are the main and most controversial topics in health care, dominating today’s news and people’s minds.
Do candidates agree with the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade? Or do they support reproductive freedom and the right of individual women to choose? And, where do candidates stand on the issues of masks, mandates, and vaccines.
Other important health-related issues include the increasing cost of prescription drugs and health insurance premiums. Arguments also swirl around whether to expand or curb Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare). The increasing number of hospital and clinic closings, especially in rural areas, is another problem.
Below are notes and quotes from the candidates’ websites and other public-record sources. Some candidates, mostly Democrats, have detailed plans for handling today’s health problems. Other candidates’ websites have general statements about healthcare being important, but no specifics on what the candidate supports or opposes.
For those interested in a candidate’s stand on a health issue that is not noted below, we suggest searching on the candidate’s name along with the topic and also checking sites like VOTE411.org or Ballotpedia.org/Maryland that track candidates’ positions. Many who have not yet made public statements on various controversial issues like the pandemic or Roe v. Wade may yet do so before the Maryland primary election. Be sure to vote!
The primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, July 19. Only residents who have registered their political party preference are eligible to vote, and they may only vote for their party’s candidates. Thus, Democrats may only vote for Democratic candidates and Republicans only for Republican candidates.
Important primary voting dates in Maryland:
- July 7-14: Early in-person voting
- July 12: Deadline to request a mail-in ballot for the primary election
- July 19: Mail-in ballots must be postmarked no later than this date
- July 19: Primary election
Governor/Lieutenant Governor
Dan Cox + Gordana Schifanelli — Republican
“On day one of my administration as your next governor, I will end the vaccine and health mandates.”
“Life, from conception to death, must be protected with utmost sincerity. I am unashamedly 100% pro-life.”
Robin Ficker + LeRoy F. Yegge, Jr. — Republican
Ficker’s website lists his record and position on many areas, but hardly anything on health. Some of his stance can be inferred from statements on education on his website including his call to re-open schools for in-person learning as early as July 2020 and that, “They will prioritize parental input into what the schools are teaching, whether schools are safe, and whether any mandates are ever needed.”
“I want to make Maryland the sports state. Kids in the school systems and most adults are too sedentary, devoting too much time to screen activity. We need to get them out and about and involved in wholesome activity and exercise.” (VOTE411.org)
Kelly Schulz + Jeff Woolford — Republican
http://www.kellyschulzforgovernor.com
“... it is WELL past time we move away from mask mandates and vaccine mandates. Individuals should be making their own choices.”
“I won’t let politicians arbitrarily shut down schools.”
“We are blessed to live in a state that has some of the best hospitals and health care providers not only in the country, but in the world. Innovative approaches have been taken to stabilize health care costs and premiums. We must continue to do this while also allowing for a system in which we can have more competition so that consumers have more choices.”
Joe Werner + Minh Thanh Luong — Republican
http://www.wernerformaryland.com
Werner’s website states that he has “tailor-fit plans” on several issues including healthcare; however, there are no details on the plans. His stance is indicated by the phrase “Pro Life Pro Liberty” on his list of important issues.
Rushern Baker III + Nancy Navarro — Democrat
Rushern Baker III suspended his race for governor on June 10.
Jon Baron + Natalie Williams — Democrat
Baron says that he wants to bring an evidence-based approach to all issues including education, the economy, and healthcare. Specifically, he wants to lower the cost of prescription drugs by empowering Maryland to negotiate lower statewide costs for pharmaceutical drugs and to investigate which drugs benefit patients.
Programs he supports:
- Enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade in the Maryland constitution
- Public option health insurance with low premiums, similar to programs in New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, similar to single-payer or Medicare-for-all concepts
- Nurse-led program for chronically ill home-bound senior citizens
- Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) for first-time mothers
- A program that pairs Black barbershops with pharmacists to screen for and treat high blood pressure
Peter Franchot + Monique Anderson-Walker — Democrat
“We have suffered greatly as a state and as a nation because our leaders have confused wishful thinking and good intentions with good management and strategic leadership. As a result, millions of Marylanders experienced confusion, frustration, and anger over poor execution of our covid-19 response. Far too often, the pandemic created needs that government did not rise to meet.”
Healthcare platform includes:
- Protecting and expanding access to abortion care
- Lowering healthcare costs and expanding affordable primary and preventative care
Douglas F. Gansler + Candace Hollingsworth — Democrat
Regarding healthcare in general, Ganzler states: “In the midst of both a public health crisis and an economic crisis, our state is failing to provide the access, quality, and continuity of care that patients desperately need.”
Gansler has a focus on mental health and on adults with physical disabilities and chronic diseases, especially veterans. He proposes plans to improve access for the disabled in public transportation and employment.
“We are nowhere close to satisfying demand for psychiatrists, therapists, and clinical social workers, which means people who call for help are often forced to wait weeks, even months, to get through the door. When we can get patients in for sessions, we don’t have nearly enough licensed prescribers to provide people with life-saving medicine. It’s clear Marylanders need mental health care now more than ever.”
He is also in favor of legalizing cannabis and expunging convictions.
Ralph W. Jaffe + Mark Greben — Democrat
http://www.fedupwithcrookedpolitics.com
Jaffe wants investigation and action on:
- Veteran Adminstration scandals
- Nursing home exploitation of the elderly
Ashwani Jain + LaTrece Hawkins Lytes — Democrat
Jain pledges to:
- Add protection for abortion care, contraception, and gender treatment to Maryland constitution
- Provide mental health personnel in schools
- Strengthen disability rights and create caretaker programs
- Legalize marijuana and expunge records
- Decriminalize scheduled drugs and fund rehab clinics
John King + Michelle Daugherty Siri — Democrat
http://www.johnkingforGovernor.com
King is endorsed by the Pro-Choice Maryland Action organization.
On protecting and expanding the right to abortion care, King’s website states: “Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, it is no longer enough for Democrats to only be pro-choice. John and Michelle, his running mate and former board president of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, are committed to aggressively protecting and expanding the right to abortion care in Maryland.”
“Almost 350,000 [Marylanders] are uninsured. The disparities in Maryland’s healthcare system run deep. Black and Latino Marylanders are uninsured at a disproportionate rate.”
On his website, King outlines the following priorities:
- Treat healthcare as a human right and remove barriers to healthcare for all Marylanders, regardless of immigration status
- Remove barriers to primary care providers and specialty providers while working to ensure that all Marylanders face no barriers to emergency care, especially in rural Maryland
- Incentivize providers to locate in underserved communities, prioritizing specialists
- Create a permanent task force to analyze racial disparities in Maryland’s health care system, and make targeted investments to eliminate those disparities
- Take a holistic approach to healthcare by tackling the underlying causes of many health disparities, such as poverty, environmental injustice, and access to fresh foods
Wes Moore + Aruna Miller — Democrat
“Wes will protect funding for our community health centers that offer critical health services like cancer screenings and birth control. Wes supports the right to choose, and as governor, he will fight to protect it."
The website states that the Moore-Miller administration will:
- Ensure every Marylander has access to quality, affordable health care coverage and that the ability to pay is not the deciding factor in obtaining needed care
- Protect reproductive freedoms and advance access to reproductive healthcare by enshrining the right to abortion into Maryland’s constitution, combating any efforts to restrict care and expanding training for healthcare providers so more Marylanders can obtain care
- Lower prescription drug prices by empowering the Prescription Drug Affordability Board to review costs and set limits for prescription drugs, explore bulk buying pools, and leverage the state’s purchasing power to drive down costs
- Advance health equity by ensuring universal access to coverage, combating maternal mortality by expanding successful home visiting programs, addressing disparities in rural health care by expanding telehealth and remote patient monitoring
- Improve care for individuals with disabilities, and support seniors’ ability to access home health care services to age in place
- Destigmatize mental illness and support mental, emotional, and behavioral health for all by increasing the number of community-based care centers
- Better address the behavioral health needs of Maryland’s youth by expanding community schools, increasing the number of behavioral health workers in schools
- Address workforce shortages in the health care field by driving more students into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs and leveraging tuition assistance and loan forgiveness to incentivize students and new graduates to work in high-demand areas
- Address the public health impacts of climate change by addressing the worsening effects of extreme heat and improving Maryland’s air quality
Tom Perez + Shannon Sneed — Democrat
“Tom will also ensure that every woman in Maryland has access to world class reproductive care.
- The Perez-Sneed administration will also tackle the opioid and overdose crises across our state which are the leading cause of maternal mortality
- Tom has a proven track record of fighting for women’s reproductive rights, including as assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice where he reinforced federal laws that protect women’s access to reproductive care without harassment or intimidation
- Maryland is one of the most pro-choice states in the nation, but unfortunately most counties do not have a clinic that provides abortion services. Tom is committed to ensuring that every woman in Maryland has access to reproductive healthcare by integrating reproductive health services into our primary care system
- Tom has a track record of fighting for Black women and children as director of the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services where he prosecuted a maternity ward that segregated its patients by race. As governor, Tom will provide targeted support for fertility, prenatal, and postpartum resources to Black women
- Perez states he will also tackle the ongoing mental health crisis”
Jerome M. Segal + Justinian M. Dispenza — Democrat
Segal’s website has no specific mention of healthcare, covid, or abortion and reproductive rights.
Congress 1st District
Andrew P. Harris — Republican — incumbent
Concerning abortion, Harris has been quoted in a Baltimore Sun article: “I’m on record,” Harris said. “I would support a heartbeat bill. I think we should protect infant lives after the heartbeat is detected.” That would be at about 6 weeks, before many even know they are pregnant.
As of July 1, the Harris website has lots of links to news articles and tips for dealing with covid but no details on his position on issues such as masks, vaccines, or mandates. Radio and TV ads from 2018 and 2020 are included but no new information for 2022.
The site also has a banner proclaiming “The Trump Team.”
R. David Harden — Democrat
http://www.hardenforcongress.com
“Healthcare: Every American deserves access to high-quality, affordable medical care. We can improve our healthcare system while lowering costs, ensuring broader coverage, and achieving better outcomes. I support measures that would strengthen the ACA’s framework and provide a public option that will be made affordable to every citizen. Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP protect our seniors, children, and most vulnerable citizens; I will fight to make sure these programs are never eliminated or privatized. Beyond expanding coverage, we must also seek to address the exploding costs of healthcare. We need a comprehensive policy agenda that targets anti-competitive behavior, price-gouging, and bureaucratic waste in the private sector, while also investing in evidence-based public health initiatives.”
Hardin states that he is “fully committed to protecting Social Security and Medicare and ensuring their solvency and viability.”
On covid, Hardin supports vaccines and taking all needed precautions for those in high-risk groups.
Heather R. Mizeur — Democrat
Concerning healthcare, Mizeur supports expanding access, lowering costs, and improving coverage. She has considerable experience in writing and sponsoring healthcare policy in the Maryland General Assembly, including one of the first bills that allowed young people to stay on their parents’ family policies until age 26.
“I will seek to expand who qualifies for coverage, improve the benefits packages, and will work to bring down out-of-pocket costs through better subsidies and co-payment rules. I also support allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies to reduce Rx prices. And I will prioritize our rural health care needs by focusing on ways to attract more and better health care providers to our region and promote policies that will keep rural hospitals and clinics open and thriving, ensuring First District residents don’t lose their access to care.”
Mizeur has an impressive list of endorsements including from Maryland’s U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and from Wayne Gilchrest, former Republican, who was the First District representative in Congress for many years.
Jane Jewell is a writer, editor, photographer, and teacher. She has worked in news, publishing, and as the director of a national writer's group. She lives in Chestertown with her husband Peter Heck, a ginger cat named Riley, and a lot of books.
© Common Sense for the Eastern Shore, 2024
Title image: Pond at Pickering Creek Audubon Center, Talbot Co. Photo: Jan Plotczyk
