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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Vincent DeMarco, JD, MA, Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public, Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, President, 2600 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, 410-235-9000, demarco@mdinitiative.org

This plenary will be about Maryland's landmark Fair Share Health Care Law which requires large corporations to pay their fair share of the cost of providing health care for the uninsured. First, we will describe the mechanics of the law and discuss the effects it has had in Maryland and nationally. Second, we will talk about the health care advocates' plan that succeeded in getting the law enacted, including a discussion of how the advocates: built their broad based statewide coalition; effectively used polling data showing broad popular support for Fair Share Health Care; used free and paid media to build public pressure for enactment; and, most importantly, mobilized supportive business leaders in support of the legislation. Third, we will summarize the status of Fair Share Health Care in other states, focusing on those states where the proposal has the best chance of enactment in the future. Fourth, we will discuss the status of the lawsuit that was filed against the Fair Share Health Care Act and discuss the advocates' strategies for overcoming the recent lower court decision invalidating the law. Finally, we will talk about lessons from the Maryland experience that can inform other state advocates working to enact Fair Share Health Care and other health care expansion measures.

Learning Objectives:

• The primary learning objective is to teach advocates how to build a powerful grassroots coalition, that includes business leaders, which can successfully push for important health care expansion legislation.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation