Adequate health care coverage is a basic right for all Americans, but that right is under attack. In the very near future, Maryland legislators will be deciding whether or not to override Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich's veto on Fair Share Health Care, an initiative to make our largest and most profitable corporations, such as Wal-Mart, pay a fair share of their employee’s health care. Fair share health care is good for Maryland, and I strongly support the legislature’s effort to override this bill.

Fair share health care requires our state’s largest employers to spend 8% of their payroll on health care for their workers. There are only four companies in our State with over 10,000 workers and three of them already pay above and beyond the 8% threshold for employee health care – only Wal-Mart does not.

If someone cannot pay for their health care services, a situation that occurs far too often, the cost of their care is covered by everyone who pays into our health care system – including and especially overwhelming majority of small, medium and large-sized businesses who provide health coverage, and all individuals with private health insurance.

We need Fair Share Health Care so we can save businesses and taxpayers millions of dollars every year and protect our workers at the same time. It's a tremendous win-win for the state of Maryland, and an opportunity for Maryland to be a national model for smart, sound and fair public policy.

We must override Governor Ehrlich's veto. It’s the right thing to do for Maryland families and for Maryland businesses.

Sincerely,

Terry Lierman
Chair, Maryland Democratic Party
www.MdDems.org