Del. Kathy Szeliga

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 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.

Maddy summaryHB 871 adds "community health worker workforce programs" to Maryland’s definition of "community benefit" for nonprofit hospitals. It allows hospitals and community-based organizations to partner through a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish these programs, which must include specific elements like health outcome goals, implementation plans, and data protocols. The bill requires hospitals to provide employer-sponsored health insurance to community health workers employed through these partnerships. This directly affects nonprofit hospitals, community organizations, and community health workers, aiming to improve patient access to care and address social determinants of health.

Maddy summaryHB 1142 establishes the Maryland Interested Parties Advisory Group within the Department of Health to address two key issues: ensuring Medicaid payment rates for home and community-based services are sufficient to maintain access, and supporting the development of an adequate direct care workforce. The advisory group will include 11 voting members representing consumers, consumer organizations, direct care workers, worker organizations, provider associations, and the public, plus a nonvoting data expert. It must reflect Maryland’s diversity in disability, race, ethnicity, gender, and other demographics. The group will meet quarterly starting November 1, 2025, and the Department of Health will provide staff and logistical support to ensure meaningful participation from consumers and direct care workers. This bill directly affects Medicaid recipients needing home/community services, direct care workers, and organizations serving these groups.

Maddy summaryHB 745 requires Maryland's State Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists to issue behavior analyst licenses within 10 days of receiving a complete application, or within 30 days if additional information is needed to complete an initially incomplete application. The bill mandates the Board send email notifications to applicants at four key stages: when an application is received, review begins, completeness is confirmed (or more info is needed), and when a license is issued or denied. This directly affects individuals applying for behavior analyst licensure in Maryland by setting clear timelines for processing and improving communication. The bill does not change eligibility requirements but focuses on streamlining the application process and transparency. It takes effect October 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1086 requires Maryland's Medicaid program (Maryland Medical Assistance Program), managed care organizations, and certain health insurers to cover anesthesia services without time limits. It mandates that if a licensed medical professional orders anesthesia for a procedure, coverage must extend for the entire procedure duration, and insurers cannot impose any time restrictions on this coverage. The bill applies to all policies issued or renewed in Maryland on or after January 1, 2026, directly affecting Medicaid beneficiaries and insured patients needing anesthesia for medical procedures. This change aligns anesthesia coverage requirements with existing standards for other health services under Maryland law.

Maddy summaryHB 331 amends Maryland's Public Information Act to explicitly allow the Public Access Ombudsman to delegate specific powers and duties to staff members within their office. This change directly affects the Office of the Public Access Ombudsman by clarifying its internal operational authority. The key provision (added to Section 4-1B-03(g) of the Maryland Annotated Code) formally authorizes the Ombudsman to assign responsibilities to staff, streamlining the office's ability to manage public records requests and investigations. The bill does not alter public rights or create new obligations for citizens or agencies.

Maddy summaryHB 848 requires Maryland health insurance carriers to submit quarterly reports to the Insurance Commissioner detailing adverse decisions (denials of coverage), including specific data on denied claims, grievance outcomes, and emergency case processing times. If a carrier’s adverse decisions for a specific service type rise by more than 10% annually or 25% over three years, they must also report the reasons for the increase, such as changes in medical management. The Commissioner will compile annual summary reports from this data and may use it to initiate examinations of carriers. This bill directly affects health insurance carriers operating in Maryland, aiming to increase transparency around coverage denials without altering coverage rules.

Maddy summaryHB 1351 requires health insurance carriers in Maryland to accept or reject applications from specific behavioral health professionals within 30 days of receiving a complete application. It directly affects licensed graduate social workers, counselors, therapists, and psychology associates who practice within their licensed scope, prohibiting carriers from rejecting them solely based on their license type. The bill shortens the decision timeline for clinical professionals (like Licensed Clinical Social Workers) to 30 days, compared to the previous 120-day window for others, and mandates written notice of decisions. Carriers failing to comply face penalties under Maryland insurance law. This change aims to streamline access to behavioral health services by reducing delays in provider panel enrollment.