Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB474 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	hb0474
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 474
8	8	J1, J3 5lr2341
9	9	CF SB 129
10	10	By: Delegates Bagnall, Hill, Kaiser, Kaufman, Lehman, Lopez, Martinez,
11	11	Palakovich Carr, White Holland, Wolek, and Woorman
12	12	Introduced and read first time: January 20, 2025
13	13	Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
14	14
15	15	A BILL ENTITLED
16	16
17	17	AN ACT concerning 1
18	18
19	19	Public Health – Maryland Commission on Health Equity – Advisory Committee 2
20	20	and Hospital Reporting 3
21	21
22	22	FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Commission on Health Equity, in coordination 4
23	23	with the Maryland Department of Health, to establish a health equity measures 5
24	24	advisory committee; requiring licensed hospitals in the State to submit a health 6
25	25	equity report annually to the Department and the health equity advisory committee; 7
26	26	and generally relating to the health equity and hospital reporting. 8
27	27
28	28	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
29	29	Article – Health – General 10
30	30	Section 13–4301 11
31	31	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
32	32	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
33	33
34	34	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 14
35	35	Article – Health – General 15
36	36	Section 13–4302 16
37	37	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
38	38	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
39	39
40	40	BY adding to 19
41	41	Article – Health – General 20
42	42	Section 13–4308 21
43	43	Annotated Code of Maryland 22
44	44	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 23
45	45
46	46	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 24
47	47	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 25
48	48	2 HOUSE BILL 474
49	49
50	50
51	51	Article – Health – General 1
52	52
53	53	13–4301. 2
54	54
55	55	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 3
56	56
57	57	(b) “Commission” means the Maryland Commission on Health Equity. 4
58	58
59	59	(C) “COMMITTEE” MEANS THE HEALTH EQU ITY MEASURES ADVISOR Y 5
60	60	COMMITTEE ESTABLISHE D UNDER § 13–4308(A) OF THIS SUBTITLE. 6
61	61
62	62	(D) “GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION ” MEANS AN URBAN , SUBURBAN, OR RURAL 7
63	63	AREA OF THE STATE. 8
64	64
65	65	(E) “HEALTH DISPARITY ” MEANS A DIFFERENCE I N A PARTICULAR TYPE OF 9
66	66	HEALTH OUTCOME OR OP PORTUNITY, SUCH AS A DIFFERENCE IN RATES OF 10
67	67	HYPERTENSION , HEART DISEASE , ASTHMA, DIABETES, SUBSTANCE ABUSE , MENTAL 11
68	68	HEALTH DISORDERS , AND MATERNAL AND INF ANT MORTALITY , THAT: 12
69	69
70	70	(1) IS CLOSELY LINKED WIT H SOCIAL , ECONOMIC, OR 13
71	71	ENVIRONMENTAL DISADV ANTAGE; AND 14
72	72
73	73	(2) ADVERSELY AFFECTS GRO UPS OF INDIVIDUALS W HO HAVE 15
74	74	SYSTEMATICALLY EXPER IENCED GREATER OBSTACLES TO HEALTH CARE BASED ON : 16
75	75
76	76	(I) RACE OR ETHNICITY ; 17
77	77
78	78	(II) RELIGION; 18
79	79
80	80	(III) SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ; 19
81	81
82	82	(IV) GENDER, GENDER IDENTITY , OR SEXUAL ORIENTATIO N; 20
83	83
84	84	(V) AGE; 21
85	85
86	86	(VI) MENTAL HEALTH STATUS ; 22
87	87
88	88	(VII) COGNITIVE, SENSORY, OR PHYSICAL DISABILITY; 23
89	89
90	90	(VIII) GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION ; OR 24
91	91
92	92	(IX) ANOTHER CHARACTERISTI C HISTORICALLY LINKE D TO 25
93	93	DISCRIMINATION OR EX CLUSION. 26
94	94	HOUSE BILL 474 3
95	95
96	96
97	97	[(c)] (F) “Health equity framework” means a public health framework through 1
98	98	which policymakers and stakeholders in the public and private sectors use a collaborative 2
99	99	approach to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequities in the State by 3
100	100	incorporating health considerations into decision making across sectors and policy areas. 4
101	101
102	102	(G) “HEALTH EQUITY REPORT ” MEANS A C OMPREHENSIVE REPORT 5
103	103	ANALYZING HEALTH STA TUS AND ACCESS TO CA RE DISPARITIES IN A PATIENT 6
104	104	POPULATION , INFORMED BY NATIONAL , STATE, LOCAL, AND INTERNAL DATA AN D 7
105	105	ANY OTHER RELEVANT S OURCE. 8
106	106
107	107	(H) “HEALTH EQUITY STRATEG Y” MEANS AN EQUITY STRA TEGY CREATED 9
108	108	TO REDUCE HEALTH DISPARITIE S, PARTICULARLY IN AREA S IDENTIFIED AS HIGH 10
109	109	PRIORITIES BY NATION AL, STATE, LOCAL, AND INTERNAL DATA AN D ANY OTHER 11
110	110	RELEVANT SOURCE . 12
111	111
112	112	[(d)] (I) “Statewide health equity plan” means the equity plan required under a 13
113	113	cooperative grant funding agreement with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid 14
114	114	Innovation. 15
115	115
116	116	(J) “VULNERABLE POPULATION S” INCLUDE: 16
117	117
118	118	(1) RACIAL OR ETHNIC MINO RITIES; 17
119	119
120	120	(2) THE UNHOUSED ; 18
121	121
122	122	(3) INDIVIDUALS WITH DISA BILITIES; AND 19
123	123
124	124	(4) INDIVIDUALS THAT IDEN TIFY AS LESBIAN , GAY, BISEXUAL, 20
125	125	TRANSGENDER , OR QUEER. 21
126	126
127	127	13–4302. 22
128	128
129	129	There is a Maryland Commission on Health Equity. 23
130	130
131	131	13–4308. 24
132	132
133	133	(A) (1) THE COMMISSION SHALL , IN COORDINATION WITH THE 25
134	134	DEPARTMENT , ESTABLISH A HEALTH E QUITY MEASURES ADVIS ORY COMMITTEE TO : 26
135	135
136	136	(I) DETERMINE THE 10 WIDEST DISPARITIES I N HEALTH CARE 27
137	137	QUALITY, ACCESS, OR OUTCOMES FOR VULN ERABLE POPULATIONS ; 28
138	138
139	139	(II) REVIEW EACH HEALTH EQ UITY REPORT SUBMITTE D BY A 29
140	140	LICENSED HOSPITAL IN THE STATE; AND 30 4 HOUSE BILL 474
141	141
142	142
143	143
144	144	(III) MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE SECRETARY 1
145	145	REGARDING THE HEALTH EQUITY REPORTS. 2
146	146
147	147	(2) THE COMMITTEE SHALL I NCLUDE: 3
148	148
149	149	(I) A REPRESENTATIVE OF TH E DEPARTMENT ; AND 4
150	150
151	151	(II) THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS , APPOINTED BY THE 5
152	152	SECRETARY WITH THE AD VICE OF THE COMMISSION: 6
153	153
154	154	1. ONE ACADEMIC HEALTH C ARE QUALITY AND 7
155	155	MEASUREMENT EXPERT ; 8
156	156
157	157	2. ONE INDIVIDUAL FROM A N ASSOCIATION 9
158	158	REPRESENTING PUBLIC HOSPITALS OR HEALTH SYSTEMS; 10
159	159
160	160	3. ONE INDIVIDUAL FROM A N ASSOCIATION 11
161	161	REPRESENTING PRIVATE HOSPITALS OR HEALTH SYSTEMS; 12
162	162
163	163	4. ONE INDIVIDUAL FROM A N ORGANIZATION 13
164	164	REPRESENTING ORGANIZ ED LABOR; 14
165	165
166	166	5. ONE INDIVIDUAL FROM A N ORGANIZATION 15
167	167	REPRESENTING CONSUME RS OF HEALTH CARE SE RVICES IN THE STATE; AND 16
168	168
169	169	6. ONE INDIVIDUAL FROM A N ORGANIZATION 17
170	170	REPRESENTING VULNERA BLE POPULATIONS . 18
171	171
172	172	(B) (1) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , ON OR 19
173	173	BEFORE OCTOBER 1 EACH YEAR, BEGINNING IN 2025, EACH LICENSED HOSPIT AL IN 20
174	174	THE STATE SHALL SUBMIT A HEALTH EQUITY REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT AND 21
175	175	THE COMMITTEE . 22
176	176
177	177	(2) EACH HOSPITAL SYSTEM WITH MORE THAN ONE L ICENSED 23
178	178	HOSPITAL IN THE STATE SHALL SUBMIT A HEALTH EQUITY REPORT THAT I S: 24
179	179
180	180	(I) DISAGGREGATED AT THE LEVEL OF EACH INDIVI DUALLY 25
181	181	LICENSED HOSPITAL IN THE STATE THAT IS PART OF THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM ; AND 26
182	182
183	183	(II) AGGREGATED ACROSS ALL LICENSED HOSPITALS I N THE 27
184	184	HOSPITAL SYSTEM . 28
185	185	HOUSE BILL 474 5
186	186
187	187
188	188	(3) EACH LICENSED HOSPITA L SHALL PUBLISH ITS HE ALTH EQUITY 1
189	189	REPORT ON THE HOSPIT AL’S WEBSITE. 2
190	190
191	191	(4) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PUBL ISH EACH HOSPITAL ’S HEALTH 3
192	192	EQUITY REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT ’S WEBSITE. 4
193	193
194	194	(C) THE HEALTH EQUITY REP ORT REQUIRED UNDER S UBSECTION (B) OF 5
195	195	THIS SECTION SHALL I NCLUDE: 6
196	196
197	197	(1) AN ANALYSIS OF THE DI SPARITIES IN HEALTH STATUS AND 7
198	198	ACCESS TO CARE AT TH E HOSPITAL IN THE IM MEDIATELY PRECEDING FISCAL YEAR 8
199	199	DISAGGREGATED BY : 9
200	200
201	201	(I) AGE; 10
202	202
203	203	(II) SEX; 11
204	204
205	205	(III) RACE; 12
206	206
207	207	(IV) ETHNICITY; 13
208	208
209	209	(V) SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ; AND 14
210	210
211	211	(VI) GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION ; AND 15
212	212
213	213	(2) A HEALTH EQUITY STRATE GY TO ACHIEVE DISPAR ITY REDUCTION 16
214	214	THAT: 17
215	215
216	216	(I) INCLUDES MEASURABLE O BJECTIVES WITH SPECI FIC 18
217	217	TIMELINES FOR IMPLEM ENTATION; 19
218	218
219	219	(II) ADDRESSES THE 10 WIDEST DISPARITIES I N HEALTH CARE 20
220	220	QUALITY, ACCESS, OR OUTCOMES FOR VULN ERABLE POPULATIONS A S DETERMINED 21
221	221	BY THE COMMITTEE UND ER SUBSECTION (A)(1)(I) OF THIS SECTION; AND 22
222	222
223	223	(III) ADDRESSES HOSPITAL PE RFORMANCE ACROSS THE 23
224	224	FOLLOWING PRIORITY A REAS: 24
225	225
226	226	1. PERSON–CENTERED CARE ; 25
227	227
228	228	2. PATIENT SAFETY; 26
229	229
230	230	3. SOCIAL DETERMINATES O F HEALTH FOR PATIENT S; 27 6 HOUSE BILL 474
231	231
232	232
233	233
234	234	4. EFFECTIVE TREATMENT ; 1
235	235
236	236	5. CARE COORDINATION ; AND 2
237	237
238	238	6. ACCESS TO CARE. 3
239	239
240	240	(D) THE DEPARTMENT MAY ADOPT REGULATIONS TO CARRY OUT THIS 4
241	241	SECTION. 5
242	242
243	243	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That th is Act shall take effect July 6
244	244	1, 2025. 7
245	245