Galbraith: Andy Harris told me most people wouldn’t mind if women paid more for health insurance

By Ryan Miner 

Correction: The original headline of this story was updated to reflect Rep. Harris’ words verbatim, as told by Allison Galbraith. A Miner Detail wants to be fair to Congressman Harris and give him every opportunity to respond. However, his staff refuses to respond to multiple requests for comment. 

A newcomer to elected politics but familiar and fed up with the failures of the federal government, Allison Galbraith, a small business owner living in Bel Air, said she stepped up to run against Rep. Andy Harris in Maryland’s deeply Republican 1st Congressional District because “she’s sick of the attacks on our families.”

Galbraith, who describes herself as a single mom and the daughter of two college professors, is, so far, the only Democrat in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District to step up and mount a serious bid to take on one of Donald Trump’s most ardent and outspoken congressional allies in the 2018 congressional cycle.

I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Galbraith last Sunday evening, July 9, on my online radio show, hosted on BlogTalkRadio. During said interview, Galbraith retold a story in which she met Rep. Harris earlier this year at his Bel Air office for a face-to-face meeting.

Beginning at 17:10, Galbraith recounts her meeting with Harris:

After the 2016 presidential election, Galbraith said she asked for an appointment with Andy Harris, corresponding first with Harris’ constituent liaison. Galbraith wanted to meet with Harris to learn more about how Congress and Harris himself are supporting women-owned small businesses and “protecting women.”

Galbraith said Harris’ constituent liaison, Mary O’Keeffe, told her that Harris “is going to do something to protect pre-existing conditions and to keep kids on policies until they are 26.”

Unsatisfied with Harris’ response, Galbraith said she called the congressman’s office and asked for a meeting because she wanted to hear directly from Harris about what he intends to do for women-owned small businesses who depend on the ACA.

Galbraith said she then spoke with Harris’ health care legislative aide, who apparently told her that she would be covered in the high-risk pool.

Some time later in 2017, Galbraith said Harris held a constituent meet-and-greet event at his Bel Air office, where Harris met personally with constituents who wanted to chat. With her mother on her death bed, Galbraith said she dropped what she was doing at the time and showed up to Harris’ office with her son to meet with Harris face-to-face.

During her sit-down meeting with her the congressman, Galbraith asked Harris point-blank if he promises to vote against anything that allows gender rate hikes.

Galbraith said Andy Harris looked her in the eye while her son was sitting adjacent to her and said, “I don’t think most people would mind if women paid a little more for health insurance.”

Incredulous, Galbraith said she cut off the congressman and said emphatically, “Women mind!”

Harris retorted, according to Galbraith, that “Women need services men don’t need.” She said her son asked Harris “a few questions about special education” but Galbraith claimed that “Harris just lied to him.”

Galbraith confirmed that three other people were in the meeting with Harris who can verify Harris’ comments.

I reached out to Harris’ D.C. congressional office for comment on Galbraith’s face-to-face meeting; however, Harris’ communications director, Jacque Clark, refuses to respond to my emailed requests for comment and will not accept my phone calls.

For more information about Allison Galbraith, visit her website at AllisonforCongress.com. Please continue to follow AMinerDetail.com for more news about Maryland’s 1st Congressional District.