Del. Anne Kaiser

Maddy summaryHB 553 requires Maryland's Medicaid program (Maryland Medical Assistance Program) to cover self-measured blood pressure monitoring for eligible pregnant, postpartum, or chronically ill individuals starting January 1, 2026. It specifically covers Medicaid recipients with conditions like diabetes, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, or cardiometabolic disorders. The bill mandates coverage for validated home blood pressure monitors and reimburses healthcare providers for training, data interpretation, and remote monitoring support. Additionally, it requires the state to launch an education campaign and submit annual reports on usage, health outcomes, and cost savings related to the program.

Maddy summaryHB 1301 prohibits the Maryland Medical Assistance Program, Maryland Children’s Health Program, managed care organizations, and certain health insurers from requiring prior authorization for transfers to special pediatric hospitals. The bill defines "special pediatric hospitals" as facilities providing nonacute medical, rehabilitation, therapy, and palliative care to individuals under 22 years old, or those aged 2-22 with co-occurring physical and behavioral health conditions. It amends Maryland law to require coverage for such transfers without prior approval, effective January 1, 2026. This directly affects Medicaid programs, children’s health programs, and health insurers covering hospital or medical services in Maryland.

Maddy summaryHB 970 prohibits Maryland health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and health maintenance organizations from requiring patients to try less expensive diabetes medications before covering insulin. It directly affects people with type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes who rely on insulin or similar insulin analogs for treatment. The bill bans "step therapy" or "fail-first" protocols - where insurers force patients to attempt alternative drugs first - regardless of how insurers label these policies. This change takes effect for all new or renewed health insurance policies on or after January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 991 extends deadlines for Maryland's Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Program, directly affecting minority-owned businesses participating in state contracts, particularly for offshore wind projects and video lottery terminals. The bill delays the termination of key MBE program provisions from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026, and moves report deadlines: the disparity study analysis must now be submitted by September 30, 2025 (previously 2024), and subgoal implementation reports by December 31, 2026 (previously 2025). It modifies existing statutes (Public Utilities Article §7-704.1, State Finance and Procurement §14-309, and State Government §9-1A-10) to reflect these extended timelines. The bill focuses solely on procedural timing changes without altering the program's core requirements or eligibility criteria.

Maddy summaryHB 666 requires Maryland's Medicaid program (Maryland Medical Assistance Program) and most health insurance plans to cover calcium score testing for individuals with specific heart disease risk factors. It directly affects people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a family history of early heart disease - requiring coverage if they have at least three of these risk factors. The law mandates coverage starting January 1, 2026, for Medicaid and all health insurance policies issued or renewed after that date. This change applies to insurers, nonprofit health plans, health maintenance organizations, and managed care organizations operating in Maryland. The bill does not alter coverage for other medical services but specifically adds calcium scoring to required benefits.

Maddy summaryHB 798 requires Maryland's Office of Overdose Response (with the Department of Health) to create and maintain a public interactive dashboard tracking how settlement funds from opioid-related lawsuits are spent. The dashboard must show, by state, county, and municipality: payment schedules, past spending, spending plans, funded initiatives, and public hearing details. Local governments receiving these funds must submit required financial data through an online portal to the Department for inclusion on the dashboard. The dashboard will be developed and maintained using existing Opioid Restitution Fund money from the state budget, not new appropriations. This bill focuses solely on transparency, with no new policy changes or funding mechanisms.

Maddy summaryHB 1146 requires Maryland's crisis communication centers to coordinate with the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Network to provide services like supportive counseling, suicide prevention, crisis intervention, and referrals. It mandates that each jurisdiction's crisis system evaluate outcomes using specific data points, including 9-8-8 call volume, resolution rates, mobile crisis team dispatches, and discharge data. The bill also requires annual public reporting of this data - disaggregated by race, gender, age, and zip code - to inform policy improvements aimed at reducing criminal detention and enhancing community crisis diversion. This directly affects all Maryland crisis communication centers and their coordination with the 9-8-8 network.

Maddy summaryHB 1315 requires Maryland health insurers to cover all childhood and adolescent immunizations recommended by either the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or the American Academy of Pediatrics' schedule, without deductibles. It directly affects health insurers offering family coverage in Maryland, mandating these vaccines as part of the required "minimum package of child wellness services." The bill expands current coverage to include all recommended vaccines under these two authoritative sources, rather than a limited list. This policy change takes effect January 1, 2026, for all new or renewed policies.

Maddy summaryHB 1004 requires the Maryland Department of Health to incorporate FDA-approved Alzheimer's treatments into public health outreach programs for healthcare providers and the public. It mandates the department to create a publicly accessible website displaying statewide prevalence and hospitalization rates for Alzheimer's and related dementias, disaggregated by age, race, ethnicity, sex, and county. The bill specifically targets improving early detection awareness, emphasizing Medicare wellness visits for seniors, and addressing higher risk in Black and Latino communities. The website must include data from the previous five years and be updated annually starting in 2027.

Maddy summaryHB 1087 prohibits Maryland health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and health maintenance organizations from requiring step therapy (where patients must try less expensive drugs first) for two specific cancer-related treatments. It applies when: (1) a drug treats stage 4 metastatic cancer itself (if FDA-approved and supported by medical evidence), or (2) a drug treats a symptom or side effect from cancer treatment (if determined necessary by a provider and backed by medical literature). The law affects patients with advanced metastatic cancer who rely on these specific prescription drugs and requires insurers to cover them without prior authorization hurdles. The bill amends Maryland insurance law and takes effect January 1, 2026.