The proposal requires all state residents to be covered and all employers to pay for coverage. The insurance plan would have monthly premiums of $250, which would be on a sliding-scale for low-income residents. A $1,800 additional yearly tax would be applied to those who do not have healthcare.
According to the report, state delegate Peter Hammen (D-Baltimore County) and state senator Thomas Middleton (D-Baltimore County), leaders on healthcare issues in the General Assembly, say it is unlikely to pass this year but it is "an effort to get to that next step in healthcare reform."
Read the Sun’s report on the proposed Maryland near-universal healthcare bill.
