Healthcare-Now of Maryland is a statewide grassroots organization working for affordable, accessible quality health care for all Marylanders. We come from all walks of life. We are workers and professionals, Black and white, women and men, insured and uninsured. We believe that health care is a basic human rights and that a single-payer system is the best method to achieve universal care, eliminate administrative waste, control costs, obtain public accountability and reduce excessive private profits.

In 1990, a group of activists concerned with health care reform met in Baltimore. They specifically embraced single-payer as their preferred solution. A national organization, Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN) was founded in 1992 to work on health care issues. The next year Healthcare-Now of Maryland was founded and although the national organization does not have state affiliates, we have, on occasion, worked with them on issues of mutual concern.

During its existence, Healthcare-Now of Maryland members have:

• Lobbied for the introduction and passage of single-payer legislation in Maryland and testified and demonstrated in Annapolis on behalf of single-payer.
• Opposed the 1994 attempt by BlueCross/BlueShield to convert to a for-profit. In 2002, we fought against CareFirst’s effort to convert.
• Spoken to numerous civic and political organizations on single-payer, the health care crisis and the need for comprehensive solutions.
• Participated in forums and rallies in support of universal health care and against attempts to privatize health care.
• Organized meetings that featured experts on a wide-range of health care issues.
• Supported single-payer legislation on the national level and demonstrated against the proposed Clinton health care legislation.