Del. Steve Johnson

Maddy summaryHB 333 requires Maryland's healthcare ecosystem entities - including hospitals, medical facilities, data exchanges, and other defined providers - to adopt cybersecurity standards, implement a "zero-trust" security approach, undergo third-party audits, and report incidents to the State Security Operations Center. It mandates the Maryland Health Care Commission to hire a cybersecurity expert to advise on oversight and collaborate with security offices. The bill also directs the Department of Emergency Management to convene a workgroup to study and improve healthcare cybersecurity practices. These requirements directly affect healthcare providers and data handlers but exclude insurers and pharmacy benefits managers.

Maddy summaryHB 869, the Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2025, removes the June 30, 2025, expiration date from Maryland's law allowing audio-only telephone conversations to count as telehealth for reimbursement and coverage. The bill requires Maryland's Medicaid program and participating insurers to continue covering and reimbursing audio-only telehealth visits at the same rate as in-person services without time restrictions. This change directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries, health care providers, and private insurers operating in Maryland. The bill does not alter existing requirements that telehealth services must be medically necessary and appropriately delivered.

Maddy summaryHB 1082 establishes Maryland’s State-Based Health Insurance Subsidies Program to help residents pay for health insurance if federal advance premium tax credits (which reduce insurance costs) decrease. The program would provide direct subsidies to Maryland individuals affected by such federal changes, specifically targeting fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It uses existing funding from the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange Fund, which includes state-designated money, federal waiver funds, and other sources, to cover these subsidies without requiring new taxes. The bill amends Maryland’s insurance code to formally create this program and outlines how the state will administer it through the Health Benefit Exchange. This policy change directly affects Maryland residents purchasing individual health insurance plans who might face higher costs due to reduced federal support.

Maddy summaryHB 783 requires health professionals renewing certain licenses (such as physicians, nurses, and social workers) to complete training on both implicit bias and structural racism as part of their first license renewal after April 1, 2026. The training must be approved by Maryland's Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program, replacing prior requirements that only mandated implicit bias training. This change updates Maryland law to explicitly include structural racism - a system of institutional inequalities based on race - in the training standards for health occupation licenses. The bill applies to license renewals under the Health Occupations Article and amends related sections of Maryland's code to reflect this new requirement.

Maddy summaryHB 428 prohibits medical providers from placing liens on owner-occupied homes for unpaid medical debt. It requires courts to specify if a money judgment involves medical debt and mandates including the defendant’s primary residence address in such complaints. The bill adds a new provision (§ 14-203.1) stating that liens on homes where owners live cannot be created for medical debt, and courts must remove such illegal liens while potentially awarding damages. This applies prospectively from October 1, 2025, directly affecting Maryland homeowners and medical providers seeking debt collection.

Maddy summaryHB 1045 updates Maryland's health insurance and family planning laws to align with current federal standards. It specifically expands the definition of "family planning providers" to include those who lost federal Title X funding due to service scope (like abortion access or referrals), ensuring Medicaid continues reimbursing them for services. The bill requires the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to maintain access to family planning services for these providers by establishing similar requirements to other providers and prohibiting restrictions on services within a provider's scope of practice. It also clarifies that the Maryland Insurance Commissioner and Civil Rights Commission share enforcement authority over health insurance discrimination.

Maddy summaryHB 809 creates a temporary exception to standard child placement limits for foster care providers when a child enrolled in college must leave campus due to academic breaks, temporary closures, or approved leave. The exemption applies only if the child, foster care provider, and agency agree to the living arrangement. This directly affects youth in foster care attending college and their foster care providers. The law requires the state to update placement regulations by July 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 930 establishes Maryland's Public Health Abortion Grant Program to improve access to abortion care by redirecting excess funds from health insurance coverage. It requires insurance carriers in Maryland to transfer 90% of unused funds from their abortion coverage accounts (after covering patient costs) into a new special fund. This fund will support abortion clinical services, particularly where federal funding is restricted, benefiting individuals seeking abortion care in Maryland. The program mandates annual reporting by insurers and transfers existing excess funds starting in 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1473 requires Maryland state departments, agencies, and programs to provide equal access to public services for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) and disabilities. It mandates these entities to develop language access plans by July 2027, including accommodations like interpreters, sign language, and plain language materials. The Governor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs will oversee compliance, investigate complaints, and receive $400,000 annually starting in fiscal year 2027 to support implementation. The bill expands existing LEP protections to explicitly include disability accommodations under defined "equal access" standards.

Maddy summaryHB 466, the "Health Equality for Service Members Act," expands eligibility for Maryland's health, housing, and occupation programs to include members of the Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as "veterans" under state law. The bill revises definitions to clarify that "uniformed services" encompasses all such branches - not just the armed forces - and requires health, housing, and licensing laws to apply uniformly to all covered service members. This directly affects Public Health Service and NOAA personnel who previously lacked access to state programs designed for veterans. The law modifies specific sections of Maryland’s health, housing, and occupation codes to ensure consistent coverage across all uniformed services.