Every day, I am proud to work at the Baltimore City Health Department with nearly a thousand dedicated women and men who support the most vulnerable in our community. We deliver core services such as preventing deadly outbreaks, ensuring sanitation in food service facilities, and caring for both human and animal residents in their time of need.

One of our core services is healthcare access, which is being threatened by the recent proposal passed in the House of Representatives to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. On Monday, I joined U.S. Representatives Elijah Cummings and John Sarbanes at a Town Hall to discuss the importance of Medicaid to Baltimore, and how it serves as the safety net for our most vulnerable residents, including our children, families, seniors, and those with mental illness and addiction.

Taking away Medicaid will hurt millions of Marylanders. This is not about politics or policy. It's about people's lives.

In Baltimore, over 65 percent of children depend on Medicaid to receive immunizations and to get treatment for conditions like asthma and diabetes. Half of all pregnant women in the city are on Medicaid to receive prenatal treatment. Nationally, nearly one in three individuals who receive insurance through Medicaid expansion have a behavioral health or substance use disorder, or both. 

The plan to replace the Affordable Care Act will cut essential health benefits, which means that insurance companies no longer have to cover addiction or mental health treatment. For patients with these illnesses, there is no margin of error. As I mentioned in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece written with Congressman Cummings and Health Care for the Homeless President and CEO Kevin Lindamood, we cannot deprive them of life-saving treatment: losing coverage today could mean overdosing and dying tomorrow.

Gutting Medicaid will roll back the gains we have made and hurt generations to come. I know this as a doctor and as a patient myself. Healthcare cannot be a privilege afforded only to those who can pay for it. Access to health is access to life, and health is a basic human right.

At BCHD, our core services—ranging from HIV/AIDS outreach, to maternal and child programs, to restaurant inspections and senior care—protect Baltimore’s most vulnerable populations. Our public health heroes work each day on the ground to improve health. Last week, our Animal Services team received the “Most Collaborative” budget award from the City of Baltimore’s Bureau of the Budget and Management Research. Additionally, Deputy Commissioner for Youth Wellness and Community Health Olivia Farrow was nominated for the Richard Lidinsky, Sr. Award of Excellence in Public Service for her outstanding service to Baltimore City.

We are proud of our work, but we know that there is much more to do, especially with the ongoing uncertainty around us. I always say that I have the best job in the world, and as always, I am grateful to our hardworking staff and community partners who ensure that Baltimore’s residents can lead healthier lives.

There is no more important time than now to stand up and fight for the health of our residents.

Sincerely, 

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

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