Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB936 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3		EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXIS TING LAW.
4	4		[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5		-	Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
6		-	Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
7		-	amendment.
8	5		hb0936
9	6
10	7		HOUSE BILL 936
11	8		J5 5lr1940
12	9
13	10		By: Delegates Shetty, Forbes, D. Jones, Kaufman, J. Lewis, McCaskill, Smith,
14		-	Solomon, and Watson Watson, Bagnall, Bhandari, Chisholm, Cullison,
15		-	Guzzone, Hill, Hutchinson, S. Johnson, Kaiser, Kerr, Kipke, Lopez,
16		-	Martinez, Pena –Melnyk, Reilly, Rosenberg, Szeliga, Taveras,
17		-	White Holland, Woods, and Woorman
	11	+	Solomon, and Watson
18	12		Introduced and read first time: January 31, 2025
19	13		Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
20		-	Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
21		-	House action: Adopted
22		-	Read second time: February 25, 2025
23	14
24		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	15	+	A BILL ENTITLED
25	16
26	17		AN ACT concerning 1
27	18
28	19		Health Insurance – Cancellation and Nonrenewal of Coverage – Required Notice 2
29	20
30		-	FOR the purpose of requiring that a carrier provide the notice by certain electronic means, 3
31		-	in addition to written notice, of cancellation or nonrenewal of a small group market 4
32		-	health benefit plan by certified mail, return receipt requested, and by electronic 5
33		-	means and include information regarding additional health benefit coverage options 6
34		-	in the notice; and generally relating to cancellation and nonrenewal of health benefit 7
35		-	plans in the State. 8
	21	+	FOR the purpose of requiring that a carrier provide the written notice of cancellation or 3
	22	+	nonrenewal of a small group market health benefit plan by certified mail, return 4
	23	+	receipt requested, and by electronic means and include information regarding 5
	24	+	additional health benefit coverage options in the notice; and generally relating to 6
	25	+	cancellation and nonrenewal of health benefit plans in the State. 7
36	26
37		-	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
38		-	Article – Insurance 10
39		-	Section 15–1212(h) 11
40		-	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
41		-	(2017 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
	27	+	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 8
	28	+	Article – Insurance 9
	29	+	Section 15–1212(h) 10
	30	+	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
	31	+	(2017 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
42	32
43		-	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
44		-	Article – Insurance 15
45		-	Section 15–1212(i) 16
46		-	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
47		-	(2017 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
	33	+	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 13
	34	+	Article – Insurance 14
	35	+	Section 15–1212(i) 15
	36	+	Annotated Code of Maryland 16
	37	+	(2017 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17
	38	+
	39	+	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18
	40	+	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19
	41	+
	42	+	Article – Insurance 20
	43	+
	44	+	15–1212. 21
	45	+
	46	+	(h) When a carrier elects not to renew a particular product for all small employers 22
	47	+	in the State, the carrier shall: 23
48	48		2 HOUSE BILL 936
49	49
50	50
51		-	~~SECTION 1.~~ ~~BE IT ENACTED BY~~ THE ~~GENERAL ASSEMBLY~~ OF ~~MARYLAND,~~ 1
52		-	~~That the Laws of Maryland read as follows~~: 2
	51	+	(1) provide notice of the nonrenewal at least 90 days before the date of the 1
	52	+	nonrenewal to: 2
53	53
54		-	~~Article – Insurance~~ 3
	54	+	(i) each affected: 3
55	55
56		-	~~15–1212~~. 4
	56	+	1. small employer; and 4
57	57
58		-	(h) When a carrier elects not to renew a particular product for all small employers 5
59		-	in the State, the carrier shall: 6
	58	+	2. enrolled employee; and 5
60	59
61		-	(1) provide notice of the nonrenewal at least 90 days before the date of the 7
62		-	nonrenewal to: 8
	60	+	(ii) the Commissioner; 6
63	61
64		-	(i) each affected: 9
	62	+	(2) offer to each affected small employer the option to purchase all other 7
	63	+	health benefit plans currently offered by the carrier in the small group market; and 8
65	64
66		-	1. small employer; and 10
	65	+	(3) act uniformly without regard to the claims experience of any affected 9
	66	+	small employer, or any health status–related factor of any affected individual. 10
67	67
68		-	2. enrolled employee; and 11
	68	+	(i) (1) Within 7 days after cancellation or nonrenewal of a health benefit plan, 11
	69	+	the carrier shall send to each enrolled employee: 12
69	70
70		-	(ii) the Commissioner; 12
	71	+	(I) written notice of its action BY CERTIFIED MAIL , RETURN 13
	72	+	RECEIPT REQUESTED ; AND 14
71	73
72		-	(2) ~~offer to each affected small employer the option to purchase all other 13~~
73		-	~~health benefit plans currently offered by the carrier in the small group market; and 14~~
	74	+	(II) NOTICE DELIVERED BY ELECTRO NIC MEANS THAT 15
	75	+	COMPILES WITH § 27–601.2 OF THIS ARTICLE . 16
74	76
75		-	(3) act uniformly without regard to the claims experience of any affected 15
76		-	small employer, or any health status–related factor of any affected individual. 16
	77	+	(2) THE NOTICE REQUIRED UNDE R PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 17
	78	+	SUBSECTION SHALL INCLUDE INFORMATIO N ON ADDITIONAL HEAL TH BENEFIT 18
	79	+	COVERAGE OPTIONS, INCLUDING CONTINUATION OF COVE RAGE THROUGH THE 19
	80	+	CONSOLIDATED OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT (COBRA), IF 20
	81	+	AVAILABLE, AND PLANS AVAILABLE THRO UGH THE MARYLAND HEALTH BENEFIT 21
	82	+	EXCHANGE. 22
77	83
78		-	(i) (1) Within 7 days after cancellation or nonrenewal of a health benefit plan, 17
79		-	the carrier shall send to each enrolled employee: 18
80		-
81		-	(I) written notice of its action BY CERTIFIED MAIL , RETURN 19
82		-	RECEIPT REQUESTED ; AND 20
83		-
84		-	(II) NOTICE DELIVERED BY ELECTRONIC MEANS THA T 21
85		-	COMPLIES WITH § 27–601.2 OF THIS ARTICLE . 22
86		-
87		-	(2) THE NOTICE REQUIRED U NDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 23
88		-	SUBSECTION SHALL INC LUDE INFORMATION ON ADDITIONAL HEALTH BE NEFIT 24
89		-	COVERAGE OPTIONS , INCLUDING CONTINUATI ON OF CO VERAGE THROUGH THE 25
90		-	CONSOLIDATED OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT (COBRA), IF 26
91		-	AVAILABLE, AND PLANS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE MARYLAND HEALTH BENEFIT 27
92		-	EXCHANGE. 28
93		-
94		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall apply to all 29
95		-	policies, contracts, and health benefit plans issued, delivered, or renewed in the State on or 30
96		-	after January 1, 2026. 31 HOUSE BILL 936 3
97		-
98		-
99		-
100		-	SECTION 2. 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 1
101		-	July 1, 2025 January 1, 2026. 2
102		-
103		-
104		-
105		-
106		-	Approved:
107		-	________________________________________________________________________________
108		-	Governor.
109		-	________________________________________________________________________________
110		-	Speaker of the House of Delegates.
111		-	________________________________________________________________________________
112		-	President of the Senate.
	84	+	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 23
	85	+	1, 2025. 24