Tuesday's Sun editorial ("A risky cut to Medicaid," Jan. 26) made a good point.
When a warning light goes on, get something checked. It is important for your car, your body and anything else that requires maintenance. Addressing issues early can prevent costly complications later. That's why Maryland's recent Medicaid cuts are so painful for physicians and patients. The warning light for poor people is just as important as for everyone else. For people to act on the warning light the checkup has to be easily available.
Maryland agreed to make the care available by paying physicians for doing the work. And 58 percent of doctors said that they would start to accept more Medicaid patients into their offices because of that agreement. The change has started, but once the system was put in place, Maryland decided not to shoulder the full responsibility for paying for the care, leaving physicians concerned that they will be the ones financially supporting this type of care.
Physicians feel like we are working with Wimpy who ceremoniously would invite people over for a duck dinner, then inform the guests that they should bring the duck.
Dr. Tyler Cymet, Baltimore
The writer is president of MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society.