Dr. Stephen B. Thomas,
Director, Maryland Center for Health Equity
Professor, Health Services Administration
University of Maryland School of Public Health

"I think it is a great day to be an American. What this decision upheld is that health care is a right and that there is now going to be a commitment to promoting health and preventing disease. Our previous system allowed millions of Americans to fall through the cracks, our safety net had many holes, and unfortunately many of those people falling through the cracks were blacks and Latino and other minority groups and that now will end. The work here at the Maryland Center for Health Equity will be accelerated across the state of Maryland but also across the nation. This spring, Governor O'Malley signed the Maryland Health Improvement and Disparities Reduction Act of 2012, and that law was based on the Affordable Care Act and its provisions. With this ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act, we can now move forward aggressively to close the gap on racial and ethnic minority health disparities. We should be proud as a university to be part of the state's efforts in this area. I am proud as a member of the School of Public Health to be in a leading role to help the state implement this. As Marylanders, we can all be proud to be part of a national model that other states can emulate."