Maryland has long recognized the benefits of investing in health care for pregnant women and their newborns. Research shows that good prenatal care results in both healthier mothers and healthier babies.
Yet Gov. Larry Hogan's proposal to cut Medicaid coverage for more than 1,000 pregnant women threatens to undermine the state's progress toward making prenatal care accessible to mothers who otherwise might not be able to afford it. ("Critics fault Hogan's plan to cut Medicaid spending," Feb. 13).
The governor's proposed cut would return Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women to the 1989 income standard of 185 percent of the federal poverty level.
As a state that has made great strides toward improving access to health care, we should not create new barriers that backtrack on previous progress or worsen the health of some of our youngest residents. We must make sure our state gives every child the best start possible.
Leni Preston, Potomac
The writer chairs the Maryland Women's Coalition for Health Care Reform.