This week, we learned that the Senate health care proposal would cause over 22 million Americans to lose health insurance coverage. Access to health care is a basic human right because it means access to life. During a forum last weekend with U.S. Senator Van Hollen and Congressman Steny Hoyer, I said that health care is not just a policy—it is about people’s lives. We are deeply concerned about the health of the most vulnerable populations of our communities.

Last week on CNBC’s Closing Bell and this week on WYPR’s HealthWatch and WBAL’s News Now and C4 Shows, I spoke about treating patients before and after the ACA and the significant difference insurance makes in their lives. In Baltimore City, the ACA has allowed 40,000 people to obtain coverage and with that access, we have made strides in areas like infant mortality, asthma, infectious diseases, and more. All our successes could be rolled back. 

The Senate proposal is devastating for our most vulnerable citizens. It eliminates the Medicaid expansion, removes the requirement for essential health benefits, increases insurance premiums for seniors, and reduces access to health coverage for children, the disabled, and older adults. With this bill, we will return to a time when people are forced to choose between basic needs, such as paying for food or rent, and their medical care. 

The bill would also hurt those fighting the disease of addiction. As I mentioned inTIME, we are amid an opioid overdose crisis, and this bill will prevent people from getting access to the treatment they need to recover. If access to essential services stops, the alternative is overdosing and possible death. At a time when this horrific epidemic is growing in Baltimore and across the nation, we cannot afford to halt or ration resources.

Two people in Baltimore die every day of an overdose. We know what works and need more funding for resources like naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal medication, and greater treatment capacity. Over 950 Baltimoreans are alive today because they used naloxone to save loved ones, friends, and neighbors. Learn how to use naloxone at dontdie.org and visit our pharmacy map of Baltimore to see where you can obtain the life-saving antidote—no prescription needed.

Thank you for your continued support our efforts to improve the health and well-being of the residents of Baltimore.

Sincerely,

Leana S. Wen, M.D., M.Sc.

--

Subscribe to our newsletter