The Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund (MCHIEF) is the charitable affiliate of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, better known as Health Care for All (HCA), a coalition of organizations that advocate for left-leaning health care policy reforms in Maryland. Since their establishment, MCHIEF and HCA have been claimed to advocate for universal taxpayer-funded health care in Maryland and the United States. They have claimed credit for the passage of bills in the Maryland legislature that mandated increased access to health insurance, increased medical regulation, and higher taxes on alcohol and tobacco products. ¹

Activities

The Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund, along with its sister group Health Care for All, was founded in 1999 by Vincent DeMarco and Peter Beilenson to advocate for universal taxpayer-funded health care coverage in Maryland. According to the group’s research, 15 percent of Maryland’s population was uninsured at the time. ^{1 2}

By 2000, both the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund and Health Care for All had registered as nonprofits with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). That year, the organization had gathered 500 members. By 2002, membership surpassed 2,000. ¹

In 2013, the MCHIEF ran an ad campaign worth $400,000 to encourage enrollment in Maryland health care plans. ³

Members

Health Care for All‘s membership consists of left-of-center advocacy groups, religious organizations, and labor unions. Several of these groups include Jews United for Justice, the Baltimore Jewish Council, the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland, Climate-XChange, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Maryland Rise, AFSCME Council 3, 1199 SEIU, AHEC West, Maryland Latinos Unidos, Kaiser Permanente, the Maryland Legislative Coalition, the Women’s Law Center of Maryland, NAACP Maryland, the NAACP Maryland State Conference, the Public Justice Center, AIDS Action Baltimore Inc., the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women, and the Community Development Network of Maryland. ¹

Leadership

Vincent DeMarco is the co-founder of Health Care for All and has served as the organization’s president since its founding. He is also the president of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence and played a role in the passage of the Firearm Safety Act of 2013 which banned certain rifles and required the licensing of handgun purchasers in the state. DeMarco has been involved in political activism since the 1980s when he worked for an organization promoting a balanced budget amendment in the Maryland Constitution and then joined Marylanders against Hand Gun Abuse. Later, he joined the Maryland Children’s Initiative to advocate for higher taxes on tobacco products. ^{4 5} In 2022, DeMarco received a salary of $151,572 from HCA. ⁶

Peter Beilenson co-founded HCA but is no longer affiliated with the organization. Since 1995, he has worked as an associate faculty member at Johns Hopkins University. From 2012 to 2017, he also worked as the chief executive officer of the Evergreen Health Co-op. From 2007 to 2012, Beilenson was a health officer at the Howard County Health Department. In 2006, Beilenson ran for U.S. Congress and lost in the Democratic primary. ^{1 7 8}

Darrell Gaskin is the vice president of MCHIEF and has been a professor at Johns Hopkins University for over 14 years. ⁹

Glenn Schneider is the treasurer of MCHIEF and has worked at the Horizon Foundation since 2011. From 2000 to 2007, Schneider served as the executive director of MCHIEF. Earlier, he worked for the Smoke Free Maryland Coalition. ¹⁰

Funding

The Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund has received financial support from left-of-center foundations including Arnold Ventures, the Baltimore Community Foundation, the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, the Community Voices Project, the Consumer Health Foundation, the Hopewell Fund, the Horizon Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, and the Zanvyl and Isabelle Kreiger Fund. ¹¹

In 2021, the MCHIEF received a $150,000 grant from the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation. ¹²

In 2019, the MCHIEF received a $75,000 grant from the Abell Foundation. ¹³

Also in 2019, the MCHIEF received a $75,000 grant from the Open Society Institute Baltimore as part of its addiction and health equity program. ¹⁴

In 2016, the MCHIEF received a grant from the Proteus Fund. ¹⁵

1. “About Us.” Health Care for All. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://healthcareforall.com/about-us/.
2. Lee, Ellen. “Baltimore Group Wants Health Insurance Guarantee.” Washington Post. December 13, 2020. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/12/14/baltimore-group-wants-health-insurance-guarantee/8098e9de-11e7-48f4-bda3-909bb1ba6591/.
3. Wagner, John. “Brown accused of ‘dropping the ball’ on health care in Md. as he appears with football players.” Washington Post. November 19, 2013. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/brown-accused-of-dropping-the-ball-on-health-care-in-md-as-he-appears-with-football-players/2013/11/19/dae42d0e-5151-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html.
4. “Vincent DeMarco.” Health Care for All. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://healthcareforall.com/meet-our-staff/vince-demarco/.
5. Harvard, Kate. “Unspun: Vinny DeMarco — ‘Spinny Vinny’.” The Washington Post. February 22, 2013. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/unspun-vinny-demarco–spinny-vinny/2013/02/22/93714d00-7c43-11e2-a044-676856536b40_story.html.
6. “Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Inc.” ProPublica. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/522208746/202313179349302141/full.
7. “Peter Beilenson.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-beilenson-1841176/.
8. “Official 2006 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Congressional District 03.” Maryland State Board of Elections. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2006/results/primary/congressional_district_03.html.
9. “Darrell Gaskin.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrell-gaskin-74b0aa26/.
10. “Glenn Schneider.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenneschneider/.
11. “Financial.” Health Care for All. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://healthcareforall.com/about-us/financial/
12. “Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative Education Fund.” Blaustein Philanthropic Group. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://blaufund.org/maryland-citizens-health-initiative-education-fund-2/.
13. “Past Grants.” Abell Foundation. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://abell.org/past-grants/page/43/?search-area=health-and-human-services&search-year&search.
14. “Addiction and Health Equity Program.” Open Society Institute Baltimore. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.osibaltimore.org/annual_report/2019-impact-report/addiction-and-health-equity-program/.
15. “Maryland Citizens Health Initiative Education Fund.” Proteus Fund. Accessed September 23, 2024. https://www.proteusfund.org/grant/marylandcitizenshealthinitiativeeducationfund/