Political party Republican Role Politician Name Donald Elliott | Religion Roman Catholic Party Republican Party | |
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Constituency Legislative District 4B, Carroll & Frederick Counties Born October 18, 1931 (age 92)
Baltimore, Maryland ( 1931-10-18 ) Education St. John's University, Kenwood High School | ||
Profession Legislator, Pharmacist | ||
Donald B. Elliott (born October 18, 1931) is a registered pharmacist and American politician of the Republican Party in the State of Maryland, USA, currently serving his 6th term as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates. He serves as the representative of Maryland legislative district 4B, which encompasses Carroll and Frederick Counties in Western Maryland. Delegate Elliott is known for his dedication to health care issues, particularly the crisis in Maryland regarding uncompensated care, and has worked in recent years to address the issue of removing citizens from the uninsured rolls through various measures.
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Background
Elliott was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1986 to represent District 4B, which covers Carroll and Frederick Counties. He originally defeated Republican incumbent Delegate Lanny V. Harchenhorn, and defeated Democrat Robert George Fehle Sr. in the general election. He sits on the House Health & Government Operations Committee as the ranking minority member, and also sits on two subcommittees; the House Insurance Subcommittee and the House Health Facilities & Occupations Subcommittee.
Education
Elliott attended Kenwood High School in Baltimore County. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 1957. He later attended St. John's University, New York, to continue his study of pharmaceutical chemistry.
Career
Elliott served in the United States Navy and remained in the Naval Reserve until 1971, retiring at the rank of Lt. Commander.
Delegate Elliott has worked as a pharmacist in several capacities, including owning & operating two pharmacies in Carroll County, and remains a registered pharmacist.
During his time in the legislature, Elliott has concentrated his efforts on the Health & Government Operations Committee towards reforming Maryland's health insurance market.
Delegate Elliott has introduced legislation in the 2008 legislative session centering on the concept of personal responsibility with regards to health insurance. Those individuals who are able to afford health coverage, but choose not to purchase it, increase the cost of uncompensated care in Maryland's hospitals. Though his approach is not a panacea to the issue of the uninsured, it is an approach that emphasizes turning to those who can bear the cost of health coverage first before addressing those who do not have access to employer plans or who otherwise cannot procure or afford it.
The net effect in bringing down the number of uninsured is to lower premiums for those who do purchase health insurance, and strengthening the health care system by assisting those who need help in attaining coverage. The legislation encompasses one piece of the noted Massachusetts health care reform. The personal responsibility concept has been endorsed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and also former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
During the 2010 session of the Maryland General Assembly, he attempted to eliminate the requirement to have all vehicles in Maryland have front license plates. The Maryland Department of Legislative Services Estimated this would have saved the state over $500,000 the first year alone, with savings of over $750,000 in subsequent years.