Commission to Study Health Insurance Pooling - Establishment

SB 547 establishes a 18-member Commission to study whether pooling public employee health insurance purchasing across Maryland's State, counties, municipalities, and school boards would save costs while maintaining benefits. The Commission includes representatives from state agencies (like Budget and Management, Insurance Commissioner), local governments (counties, cities, school boards), labor unions (AFSCME, SEIU), and healthcare experts. It will analyze existing health insurance data to assess fiscal impacts and barriers to implementing a shared purchasing system. This bill creates a study group but does not change current insurance policies or require immediate action.