Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB665 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	hb0665
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 665
8	8	J1, J4, J5 5lr2863
9	9	HB 400/24 – HGO CF SB 328
10	10	By: Delegates Woods, Acevero, Alston, Bagnall, Charkoudian , Fair, Kaiser,
11	11	Kaufman, R. Lewis, J. Long, Martinez, Phillips, Roberts, Ruff, Ruth,
12	12	Simmons, Solomon, Taylor, Terrasa, Valderrama, and Williams
13	13	Introduced and read first time: January 24, 2025
14	14	Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
15	15
16	16	A BILL ENTITLED
17	17
18	18	AN ACT concerning 1
19	19
20	20	Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Health Insurance – Annual 2
21	21	Behavioral Health Wellness Visits – Coverage and Reimbursement 3
22	22
23	23	FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Medical Assistance Program and certain health 4
24	24	insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations to 5
25	25	provide coverage and certain reimbursement for annual behavioral health wellness 6
26	26	visits; and generally relating to coverage and reimbursement for behavioral health 7
27	27	care services. 8
28	28
29	29	BY adding to 9
30	30	Article – Health – General 10
31	31	Section 15–102.3(m) and 15–103(a)(2)(xxv) 11
32	32	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
33	33	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
34	34
35	35	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 14
36	36	Article – Health – General 15
37	37	Section 15–103(a)(1) 16
38	38	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
39	39	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
40	40
41	41	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 19
42	42	Article – Health – General 20
43	43	Section 15–103(a)(2)(xxiii) and (xxiv) 21
44	44	Annotated Code of Maryland 22
45	45	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 23
46	46
47	47	BY adding to 24
48	48	Article – Insurance 25 2 HOUSE BILL 665
49	49
50	50
51	51	Section 15–861 1
52	52	Annotated Code of Maryland 2
53	53	(2017 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 3
54	54
55	55	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 4
56	56	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 5
57	57
58	58	Article – Health – General 6
59	59
60	60	15–102.3. 7
61	61
62	62	(M) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2026, THE PROVISIONS OF § 15–861 OF THE 8
63	63	INSURANCE ARTICLE APPLY TO MANA GED CARE ORGANIZATIO NS IN THE SAME 9
64	64	MANNER THEY APPLY TO CARRIERS. 10
65	65
66	66	15–103. 11
67	67
68	68	(a) (1) The Secretary shall administer the Maryland Medical Assistance 12
69	69	Program. 13
70	70
71	71	(2) The Program: 14
72	72
73	73	(xxiii) Beginning on July 1, 2025, shall provide, subject to the 15
74	74	limitations of the State budget, and as permitted by federal law, coverage for biomarker 16
75	75	testing in accordance with § 15–859 of the Insurance Article; [and] 17
76	76
77	77	(xxiv) Beginning on January 1, 2025, shall provide coverage for 18
78	78	prostheses in accordance with § 15–844 of the Insurance Article; AND 19
79	79
80	80	(XXV) BEGINNING ON JULY 1, 2026, SHALL PROVIDE COVERA GE 20
81	81	FOR ANNUAL BEHAVIORA L HEALTH WELLN ESS VISITS IN ACCORD ANCE WITH § 21
82	82	15–861 OF THE INSURANCE ARTICLE. 22
83	83
84	84	Article – Insurance 23
85	85
86	86	15–861. 24
87	87
88	88	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 25
89	89	INDICATED. 26
90	90
91	91	(2) “BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WEL LNESS VISIT” MEANS A CLINICAL 27
92	92	ENCOUNTER DURING WHI CH A HEALTH CARE PRACTITI ONER CONDUCTS AN 28
93	93	ASSESSMENT TO IDENTI FY WHETHER A PATIENT MEETS CRITERIA FOR A 29
94	94	PSYCHIATRIC OR SUBST ANCE USE DISORDER . 30
95	95	HOUSE BILL 665 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	(3) “HEALTH CARE PRACTITIO NER” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL : 1
99	99
100	100	(I) WHO IS LICENSED , CERTIFIED, OR OTHERWISE AUTHORI ZED 2
101	101	UNDER THE HEALTH OCCUPATIONS ARTICLE TO PRACTICE A HEALTH OCCUPATION ; 3
102	102	AND 4
103	103
104	104	(II) WHOSE SCOPE OF PRACT ICE INCLUDES THE PRO VISION OF 5
105	105	MENTAL HEALTH AND SU BSTANCE USE DISORDER CARE SERVICES . 6
106	106
107	107	(B) THIS SECTION APPLIES TO: 7
108	108
109	109	(1) INSURERS AND NONPROF IT HEALTH SERVICE PLANS THAT 8
110	110	PROVIDE HOSPITAL , MEDICAL, OR SURGICAL BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUALS OR GR OUPS 9
111	111	ON AN EXPENSE –INCURRED BASIS UNDER HEALTH INSURANCE POL ICIES OR 10
112	112	CONTRACTS THAT ARE I SSUED OR DELIVERED I N THE STATE; AND 11
113	113
114	114	(2) HEALTH MAINTENANCE O RGANIZATIONS TH AT PROVIDE 12
115	115	HOSPITAL, MEDICAL, OR SURGICAL BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUALS OR GR OUPS UNDER 13
116	116	CONTRACTS THAT ARE I SSUED OR DELIVERED I N THE STATE. 14
117	117
118	118	(C) (1) AN ENTITY SUBJECT TO THIS SECTION SHALL P ROVIDE 15
119	119	COVERAGE FOR AN ANNU AL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WELLNESS VISIT , REGARDLESS 16
120	120	OF THE ASSESSMENT RE SULTING IN A BEHAVIO RAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS . 17
121	121
122	122	(2) AN ENTITY SUBJECT TO THIS SECTION SHALL P ROVIDE 18
123	123	REIMBURSEMENT FOR AN ANNUAL BEHAVIORAL HE ALTH WELLNESS VISIT ON THE 19
124	124	SAME BASIS AND AT TH E SAME RATE AS AN AS SESSMENT THAT RESULT S IN A 20
125	125	BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DI AGNOSIS. 21
126	126
127	127	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall apply to all 22
128	128	policies, contracts, and health benefit plans issued, delivered, or renewed in the State on or 23
129	129	after January 1, 2026. 24
130	130
131	131	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENA CTED, That this Act shall take effect 25
132	132	January 1, 2026. 26