Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1489 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1489
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1489
8	8	J1 5lr3525
9	9	HB 986/24 – HGO CF SB 876
10	10	By: Delegates Martinez, Alston, and Turner
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 12, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Rules and Executive Nominations
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Maryland Medical Assistance Program – Coverage for the Treatment of Obesity 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of requiring, beginning on a certain date, the Maryland Medical 3
21	21	Assistance Program to provide comprehensive coverage for the treatment of obesity; 4
22	22	requiring the Maryland Department of Health to provide notice to Program 5
23	23	recipients of the coverage requirements; and generally relating to the Maryland 6
24	24	Medical Assistance Program and coverage for the treatment of obesity. 7
25	25
26	26	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 8
27	27	Article – Health – General 9
28	28	Section 15–103(a)(1) 10
29	29	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
30	30	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
31	31
32	32	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
33	33	Article – Health – General 14
34	34	Section 15–103(a)(2)(xxiii) and (xxiv) 15
35	35	Annotated Code of Maryland 16
36	36	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17
37	37
38	38	BY adding to 18
39	39	Article – Health – General 19
40	40	Section 15–103(a)(2)(xxv) and 15–157 20
41	41	Annotated Code of Maryland 21
42	42	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 22
43	43
44	44	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 23
45	45	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 24
46	46
47	47	Article – Health – General 25
48	48	2 HOUSE BILL 1489
49	49
50	50
51	51	15–103. 1
52	52
53	53	(a) (1) The Secretary shall administer the Maryland Medical Assistance 2
54	54	Program. 3
55	55
56	56	(2) The Program: 4
57	57
58	58	(xxiii) Beginning on July 1, 2025, shall provide, subject to the 5
59	59	limitations of the State budget, and as permitted by federal law, coverage for biomarker 6
60	60	testing in accordance with § 15–859 of the Insurance Article; [and] 7
61	61
62	62	(xxiv) Beginning on January 1, 2025, shall provide coverage for 8
63	63	prostheses in accordance with § 15–844 of the Insurance Article; AND 9
64	64
65	65	(XXV) BEGINNING ON JULY 1, 2026, SHALL PROVIDE 10
66	66	COMPREHENSIVE COVERA GE FOR THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY IN ACCORD ANCE 11
67	67	WITH § 15–157 OF THIS SUBTITLE . 12
68	68
69	69	15–157. 13
70	70
71	71	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 14
72	72	INDICATED. 15
73	73
74	74	(2) “COMPREHENSIVE COVERAG E FOR THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY” 16
75	75	INCLUDES COVERAGE FO R INTENSIVE BEHAVIOR AL THERAPY, BARIATRIC SURGERY , 17
76	76	AND FDA–APPROVED ANTI–OBESITY MEDICATION . 18
77	77
78	78	(3) “FDA–APPROVED ANTI –OBESITY MEDICATION ” MEANS ANY 19
79	79	MEDICATION APPROVED BY THE FEDERAL FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION WITH 20
80	80	AN INDICATION FOR CH RONIC WEIGHT MANAGEM ENT IN PATIENTS WITH OBESITY. 21
81	81
82	82	(B) THE PROGRAM SHALL PROVI DE COMPREHENSIVE COV ERAGE FOR THE 22
83	83	TREATMENT OF OBESITY . 23
84	84
85	85	(C) COVERAGE CRITERIA FOR FDA–APPROVED ANTI –OBESITY 24
86	86	MEDICATIONS PROVIDED UNDER THIS SECTION M AY NOT BE MORE RESTR ICTIVE 25
87	87	THAN THE FDA–APPROVED ANTI –OBESITY MEDICATION ’S INDICATIONS FOR 26
88	88	TREATMENT . 27
89	89
90	90	(D) THE PROGRAM MAY UNDERTAKE UTILIZATION MANAGEME NT TO 28
91	91	DETERMINE THE MEDICA L NECESSITY AND APPR OPRIATENESS FOR TREA TMENT OF 29
92	92	OBESITY UNDER THIS S ECTION IF THE DETERM INATIONS ARE MADE IN THE SAME 30
93	93	MANNER AS DETERMINAT IONS ARE MADE FOR TH E TREATMENT OF ANY O THER 31
94	94	ILLNESS, CONDITION, OR DISORDER COVERED BY THE PROGRAM. 32 HOUSE BILL 1489 3
95	95
96	96
97	97
98	98	(E) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROV IDE NOTICE TO PROGRAM RECIPIENTS 1
99	99	OF THE COVERAGE REQU IRED UNDER THIS SECT ION. 2
100	100
101	101	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, on or before June 1, 2026, 3
102	102	the Maryland Department of Health shall provide notice to Maryland Medical Assistance 4
103	103	Program recipients of the coverage required by this Act in writing, and prominently 5
104	104	positioned in any literature or correspondence sent to Program recipients about coverage 6
105	105	available under the Program in calendar year 2026. 7
106	106
107	107	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 8
108	108	October 1, 2025. 9