As a member of the House Health and Government Operations Committee, Del. Kenneth Kerr (D-Frederick), is following the progress of the State-Based Young Adult Health Insurance Subsidies Pilot Program, which aims to make health coverage more accessible for low-income Marylanders age 19-34. The program operates on the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange and uses … Read more
Maryland Medicaid stakeholders met on Thursday to discuss the program’s next steps in light of what could be the last extension of the federal public health emergency (PHE), which ends July 15. Once the PHE ends, so will the freeze on Medicaid disenrollments, causing many vulnerable Marylanders to lose their health coverage. “The … Read more
Three key health bills will stand after the Democratic-controlled Maryland legislature voted to override several of Gov. Larry Hogan’s vetoes over the weekend. Last week, Hogan vetoed House Bill 937, which would establish an Abortion Care Clinical Training Program within the Department of Health and outlines requirements for Medicaid and health insurance carriers … Read more
Two bills aiming to supplement the state health workforce and emergency response system were on the agenda for the House Health and Government Operations Committee Tuesday. The first was a crossover bill sponsored by Sen. Delores Kelley (D – Baltimore). The other was sponsored by committee member Cheryl Landis (D – Prince George’s). … Read more
House Bill 746, known as the Trans Health Equity Act of 2022, would mandate access to gender-affirming care to transgender, nonbinary, and other gender diverse Medicaid beneficiaries starting Jan. 1, 2023. The House Health and Government Operations Committee voted on the bill and its Senate companion, SB 682, on Monday. Medicaid typically covers … Read more
With less than three weeks remaining in the 2022 Maryland Legislative Session, policymakers are moving closer to passing their respective bills. As Chair of the House Appropriations Health and Social Services Subcommittee, Del. Kirill Reznik’s (D – Montgomery) focus has centered on health policy and the budget. Reznik spoke with State of Reform … Read more
The Maryland Senate voted unanimously Friday to pass the state’s $58.2 billion operating budget. During the voting session, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle commented on a successful round of budget negotiations. Senator George Edwards (R – Allegany), a member of the Budget and Taxation Committee, commended the committee’s foresight of appropriating … Read more
In the final week before bills passed in their chamber of origin are required to move to the opposite chamber, members of the Maryland House Health and Government Operations Committee (HGO) voted on several health measures, with still more to come. The committee voted on the following bills Wednesday night. One of the … Read more
As Maryland lawmakers are preparing to introduce final bills for the 2022 legislative session by next week, three bills across both chambers are specifically addressing the ongoing health workforce shortage in the state. Senate Bill 440 passed its second reading with amendments on Thursday. Sponsored by Sen. Pamela Beidle (D – Anne Arundel), … Read more
The Maryland Department of Health’s three regulatory health commissions rely on an annual multimillion dollar budget to operate strategic health initiatives around the state. These include hospital rate setting under the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC), community-based grant programs through the Community Health Resources Commission (CHRC), and health care affordability strategies under the Maryland … Read more