As a Marylander, it's definitely a move in the right direction, but so far has had little effect on the average person who doesn't go to the hospital for regular care. The vast majority of my medical expenses are not from hospitalization, but from private practice doctors, specialist, and labs. Even low tier health insurance plans can easily cost $5k in premiums, with another $6k deductible. Once a year checkups are mostly covered, but if anything significant happens, you are looking at $11k out of pocket before any real coverage begins, and even then, you still have to cover 20%.

If they do manage to expand the program to cover all practitioners and independent labs, that could finally make a real difference to those of us insured who year after year, see little benefit from it.

A few states have tried to go down this road I think it is going to have to be a national law...it is to big of a lift for a state and it doesn't give them the leverage that a national law would allow to lower prices.

One benefit MD might see if they can pull this off, is a huge northern migration of well paid, highly educated people from northern VA and Washington DC. That would certainly help keep the budget doable. The cost of living in Northern VA and the nice areas of DC is pretty crazy. Subtracting a large part of the burden of health care would make a significant difference in affordability.

Maybe just maybe we get this scored.

Sanders: I'm 'absolutely' introducing single-payer healthcare bill

If this makes it to the CBO... If the GOP don't destroy it by then It will the furthest a single payer bill has gotten and will produce hard numbers that can be used to counter any craziness...not that facts mater that much any more but it would be a huge hallmark.

I just read that a bill needs to be approved by at least one committee to get a CBO score, but I don't know if it has to be through the Health, Education and Labor committee. That one at least is 12:11 Republican:Democrat.

The Republicans are

Lamar Alexander (TN) Michael B. Enzi (WY) Richard Burr (NC) Johnny Isakson (GA) Rand Paul (KY) Susan Collins (ME) Bill Cassidy, M.D. (LA) Todd Young (IN) Orrin Hatch (UT) Pat Roberts (KS) Lisa Murkowski (AK) Tim Scott (SC)

and the Democrats are

Patty Murray (WA) Bernie Sanders (VT) Robert P. Casey, Jr (PA) Al Franken (MN) Michael F. Bennet (CO) Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) Tammy Baldwin (WI) Christopher S. Murphy (CT) Elizabeth Warren (MA) Tim Kaine (VA) Maggie Hassan (NH)

Any chance any of those Rs might vote "Yes"? I do see both Collins and Murkowski in the Rs.

No... Unless the two women took to much abuse this time around.

Maybe they would, just to get it scored? Not that McConnell would ever allow it be brought to a vote on the floor.

Fingers crossed.