Healthcare (Hospitals)

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 13, 2026

HB 1251: Health Facilities and Health Insurance - Palliative Care - Required Access and Coverage (Edna G. Neal Palliative Care Act)

HB 1251, the Edna G. Neal Palliative Care Act, requires Maryland hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice facilities to provide patients with access to palliative care programs and inform them about these services at key points like diagnosis and hospital admission, starting October 1, 2027. It also mandates that health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and health maintenance organizations cover specific palliative care services - including pain management, counseling, and family support - without copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles, and prohibits denial of coverage for patients receiving concurrent curative treatment. The bill affects all covered health facilities and insurers operating in Maryland, ensuring equitable access to palliative care for patients with serious illnesses like cancer or heart disease. Annual reports on palliative care access and quality will be required starting in 2028.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates insurers to cover palliative care services (pain management, counseling) and requires facilities to provide access, expanding patient coverage and access to critical end-of-life care.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Insurance

Track

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates Apr 28, 2026

HB 1563: Emergency Room Services and Post-Acute Care - Coverage and Facility Studies

This bill prohibits insurers, nonprofit health plans, and health maintenance organizations from denying emergency room coverage solely because a patient did not experience a diagnosed emergency medical condition. It requires two key studies: one to quantify hospital and post-acute care bed capacity across Maryland, and another to identify ways to improve transitions from emergency to post-acute care settings. These provisions directly affect patients receiving emergency care and healthcare providers treating them, ensuring coverage isn't denied based on diagnosis alone. The studies aim to inform data-driven recommendations for future policy improvements in emergency and post-acute care access.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits insurers from denying ER coverage and mandates studies to improve care transitions, directly protecting patient access and enhancing service quality.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Mental Health

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 11, 2026

HB 1323: Health Care Decisions Act - Surrogate Decision Making - Hospital Surrogate Committee

HB 1323 requires hospitals in Maryland to establish a "surrogate committee" to make treatment decisions for patients who cannot make their own health care choices and have no available legal surrogate or advance directive. The committee must include a physician (not treating the patient), a nurse, a social worker or clergy member, a patient advisory committee member, an independent patient advocate, and community members with lived experience. Committees must complete mandatory training on bioethics, confidentiality, and implicit bias, and hospitals must report annual usage data to state health officials. This law directly affects unrepresented hospitalized patients who lack decision-making capacity and clear treatment preferences.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates hospital committees for patient decision-making without surrogates, protecting patient rights via structured oversight and mandatory bioethics training.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Hospitals

Track

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 9, 2026

HB 944: Maryland Health Care Commission - Certificates of Need and Material Change Transactions

HB 944 modifies Maryland's health care oversight rules by ending an exemption that previously allowed certain hospital mergers to bypass certificate of need requirements. It requires health care entities (like hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities) to notify both the Maryland Health Care Commission and the public before making major ownership changes. The bill establishes a public interest review process to evaluate these transactions, using specific criteria to determine if they align with community needs. The Executive Director of the Commission must decide on such transactions within a set timeframe, ensuring faster oversight of significant health care market shifts. This directly affects hospitals and health care providers planning major ownership changes in Maryland.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEnds exemption for hospital mergers bypassing review, requiring public notice and interest-based evaluation to protect healthcare market competition and patient access.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals

Track

signed · Maryland · Senate Apr 28, 2026

SB 411: Hospitals - Clinical Staffing Committees and Plans - Establishment (Safe Staffing Act of 2026)

SB 411 requires non-state hospitals in Maryland to establish clinical staffing committees with equal representation from management and frontline staff, including nurses, technicians, and other caregivers. These committees must develop evidence-based staffing plans considering patient acuity, staffing gaps, and daily patient needs, which hospitals must implement starting January 1, 2028. Hospitals must annually review these plans, publicly post staffing data on units, and submit annual reports to the Maryland Health Care Commission beginning in 2030. The bill directly affects hospital operations, staffing decisions, and transparency for frontline workers and patients.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires hospitals to establish staffing committees and develop evidence-based plans addressing patient acuity and staffing gaps, directly improving patient safety and care quality per healthcare policy indicators.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires equal frontline staff representation in staffing committees, directly strengthening worker input on workplace safety and staffing conditions per bill's evidence-based plan mandate.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Feb 13, 2026

HB 515: Public Health - Local Drug Overdose Fatality Review Teams - Membership

HB 515 requires that hospital representatives on Maryland's county drug overdose fatality review teams hold specific leadership roles - such as vice president, chief medical officer, or assistant medical officer - instead of any hospital staff member. This change directly affects county-level review teams that analyze overdose deaths, as well as the hospitals participating in them. The bill amends existing law to specify these qualifications for hospital representatives within the team membership structure. It does not create new teams or funding but sets a clearer standard for who can serve in this role. The law takes effect October 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires qualified hospital leadership on overdose review teams to strengthen public health analysis of overdose deaths, advancing public health program effectiveness.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Public Health Substance Abuse

Track

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 18, 2026

HB 599: Health - Licensure of Hospitals - Ownership Requirements

HB 599 requires hospitals seeking a new license or undergoing ownership changes after October 1, 2026, to be federally recognized nonprofit organizations registered with the state. Specifically, it mandates that hospitals qualifying for licensure on or after that date must operate as nonprofits under federal law and maintain that status as a condition of their license. The bill also prohibits transferring ownership of any licensed hospital after October 1, 2026, to any entity other than another nonprofit organization. This directly affects hospitals seeking new licenses, renewing licenses, or changing ownership in Maryland after the effective date.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates nonprofit hospital ownership to prioritize community care over profit, aligning with protecting patient access and preventing profit-driven service cuts.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Medical Licensing

Track

passed · Maryland · House of Delegates Mar 20, 2026

HB 373: State Board of Dental Examiners - Disciplinary Action and Unannounced Inspections

HB 373 allows Maryland's State Board of Dental Examiners to conduct unannounced inspections of non-hospital dental offices to verify compliance with CDC infection control guidelines. It updates disciplinary rules for dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants by adding failure to follow these guidelines as grounds for license denial, suspension, or revocation. The bill also requires certified expanded function dental assistants to be properly trained and supervised, and prohibits employers from using uncertified assistants or violating specific practice standards. These changes directly affect dental professionals and their practices across Maryland.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEnforces CDC infection control compliance in dental offices, strengthening patient safety standards and regulatory oversight in healthcare services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals

Track

in committee · Maryland · House of Delegates Jan 30, 2026

HB 616: Health Services Cost Review Commission – Health Facilities – Jurisdiction and Rate Setting

HB 616 requires Maryland's Health Services Cost Review Commission to consider all operational costs when reviewing hospital rates, including expenses for hiring physicians or other providers without corresponding billing revenue. It updates disclosure rules, mandating hospitals publicly report their financial positions and verified costs for health services. The Commission must ensure rates reflect all facility costs to confirm reasonableness and prevent excessive charges. This directly affects hospitals and the Commission by changing how rates are evaluated under Maryland's healthcare cost-review system.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates hospitals disclose full costs and prevents excessive charges by requiring Commission to consider all operational expenses, protecting patients from unreasonable costs.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals

Track

signed · Maryland · House of Delegates May 26, 2026

HB 445: Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Health Insurance - Coverage for Orthoses and Prostheses (So Every Body Can Move Act)

HB 445, the "So Every Body Can Move Act," requires Maryland's Medicaid program (Medical Assistance Program) and private health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and HMOs to cover orthoses (supportive devices like braces) starting January 1, 2027. It mandates annual coverage for orthoses, including repairs, replacements, and components, without lifetime dollar limits or higher copays than other medical benefits. The bill clarifies that coverage must include all orthoses deemed medically necessary by a provider for daily living or essential job activities. It directly affects Maryland residents enrolled in Medicaid or private health plans covering hospital/medical benefits, ensuring access to these devices without restrictive lifetime limits or unnecessary barriers.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates Medicaid and private insurers to cover orthoses without lifetime limits or higher copays, expanding access to medically necessary devices.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Insurance Medicaid