She says they will increase access to health care.
Annapolis, Md (KM) Hearings are being held this week on three bills sponsored by Frederick County Delegate Karen Lewis Young (D).
She says one would increase the tax credit for living organ donors of up to $10,000 “for lost wages, travel, lodging, child care expenses, elder care expenses, or medications.” A hearing on that bill was held on Tuesday
Another bill is called the Maryland Patient Protection and Treatment Ethics Act which would eliminate kickbacks and bad players in the drug rehabilitation field. Delegate Young says too often patient brokers see vulnerable individuals and try to make money by recruiting and sending these patients to facilities which have no intention of providing care or counseling to these people. She says these organizations incentivize patients to check-in to these clinics that profit from their stays without providing any treatment. “And this particular bill was brought to us by people in the Frederick community whose family had been victims to these practices,” Young says.
A hearing is being held on this bill on Wednesday before the Health and Government Operations Committee at 1:00 PM.
Frederick County Delegate Jesse Pippy (R) is a co-sponsor of this legislation.
A third bill deals with mail order and specialty drugs. “And that would let physicians to actually dispense certain drugs, called specialty drugs. And this would focus more on cancer treatment drugs,”: says Young.
She also says if this legislation passes, more treatments would be available to patients, and let doctors monitor and follow up on any side affects. “And three, to cut out the middle man because there are pharmacy benefit manager frequently involved in these kinds of drugs, and that’s what’s driving the cost up so much,”: says Delegate Young.
This legislation will be heard before the Health and Government Operations Committee on Thursday, February 27th at 1:00 PM.
By Kevin McManus