Mayors From Maryland Push For Health Care Legislation

Several of Maryland's African-American mayors came to Capitol Hill Tuesday to push for a health care bill that improves affordability for everyone.

Seat Pleasant Mayor Eugene Grant leads the state and national associations of black mayors. Grant said that for some Maryland residents, health insurance costs more than their monthly rent check. "In America we must not force people to have to make a choice between providing shelter for their children or access to critical health care services," says Grant.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said a man in his Baltimore neighborhood had to choose between eating and paying his co-pay for chemotherapy. "He said, I hate to make this choice. It makes me sicker figuring out how I'm going to get well," says Cummings says.

Cummings, Grant and other Maryland representatives favor a public insurance option but said they'd support any bill that improves affordability and accessibility of health care.

Almost 670,000 Marylanders lack health insurance.

Tanya Snyder reports...