Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB328 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	sb0328
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 328
8	8	J1, J4, J5 5lr2074
9	9	SB 124/24 – FIN
10	10	By: Senator Augustine
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 15, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Finance
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Maryland Medical Assistance Program and Health Insurance – Annual 2
19	19	Behavioral Health Wellness Visits – Coverage and Reimbursement 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of requiring the Maryland Medical Assistance Program and certain health 4
22	22	insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations to 5
23	23	provide coverage and certain reimbursement for annual behavioral health wellness 6
24	24	visits; and generally relating to coverage and reimbursement for behavioral health 7
25	25	care services. 8
26	26
27	27	BY adding to 9
28	28	Article – Health – General 10
29	29	Section 15–102.3(m) and 15–103(a)(2)(xxv) 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 14
34	34	Article – Health – General 15
35	35	Section 15–103(a)(1) 16
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
37	37	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
38	38
39	39	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 19
40	40	Article – Health – General 20
41	41	Section 15–103(a)(2)(xxiii) and (xxiv) 21
42	42	Annotated Code of Maryland 22
43	43	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 23
44	44
45	45	BY adding to 24
46	46	Article – Insurance 25
47	47	Section 15–861 26
48	48	Annotated Code of Maryland 27 2 SENATE BILL 328
49	49
50	50
51	51	(2017 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 1
52	52
53	53	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 2
54	54	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 3
55	55
56	56	Article – Health – General 4
57	57
58	58	15–102.3. 5
59	59
60	60	(M) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2026, THE PROVISIONS OF § 15–861 OF THE 6
61	61	INSURANCE ARTICLE APPLY TO MANA GED CARE ORGANIZATIO NS IN THE SAME 7
62	62	MANNER THEY APPLY TO CARRIERS. 8
63	63
64	64	15–103. 9
65	65
66	66	(a) (1) The Secretary shall administer the Maryland Medical Assistance 10
67	67	Program. 11
68	68
69	69	(2) The Program: 12
70	70
71	71	(xxiii) Beginning on July 1, 2025, shall provide, subject to the 13
72	72	limitations of the State budget, and as permitted by federal law, coverage for biomarker 14
73	73	testing in accordance with § 15–859 of the Insurance Article; [and] 15
74	74
75	75	(xxiv) Beginning on January 1, 2025, shall provide coverage for 16
76	76	prostheses in accordance with § 15–844 of the Insurance Article; AND 17
77	77
78	78	(XXV) BEGINNING ON JULY 1, 2026, SHALL PROVIDE COVERA GE 18
79	79	FOR ANNUAL BEHAVIORA L HEALTH WEL LNESS VISITS IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 19
80	80	15–861 OF THE INSURANCE ARTICLE. 20
81	81
82	82	Article – Insurance 21
83	83
84	84	15–861. 22
85	85
86	86	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 23
87	87	INDICATED. 24
88	88
89	89	(2) “BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WEL LNESS VISIT” MEANS A CLINICAL 25
90	90	ENCOUNTER DURING WHI CH A HEALTH CARE PRA CTITIONER CONDUCTS A N 26
91	91	ASSESSMENT TO IDENTI FY WHETHER A PATIENT MEETS CRITERIA FOR A 27
92	92	PSYCHIATRIC OR SUBST ANCE USE DISORDER . 28
93	93
94	94	(3) “HEALTH CARE PRACTITIO NER” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL: 29
95	95	SENATE BILL 328 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	(I) WHO IS LICENSED , CERTIFIED, OR OTHERWISE AUTHORI ZED 1
99	99	UNDER THE HEALTH OCCUPATIONS ARTICLE TO PRACTICE A HEALTH OCCUPATION ; 2
100	100	AND 3
101	101
102	102	(II) WHOSE SCOPE OF PRACT ICE INCLUDES THE PRO VISION OF 4
103	103	MENTAL HEALTH AND SU BSTANCE USE DISORDER CARE SERVICES. 5
104	104
105	105	(B) THIS SECTION APPLIES TO: 6
106	106
107	107	(1) INSURERS AND NONPROF IT HEALTH SERVICE PL ANS THAT 7
108	108	PROVIDE HOSPITAL , MEDICAL, OR SURGICAL BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUALS OR GR OUPS 8
109	109	ON AN EXPENSE –INCURRED BASIS UNDER HEALTH INSURANCE POL ICIES OR 9
110	110	CONTRACTS THAT ARE I SSUED OR DELIVERED IN TH E STATE; AND 10
111	111
112	112	(2) HEALTH MAINTENANCE O RGANIZATIONS THAT PR OVIDE 11
113	113	HOSPITAL, MEDICAL, OR SURGICAL BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUALS OR GR OUPS UNDER 12
114	114	CONTRACTS THAT ARE I SSUED OR DELIVERED I N THE STATE. 13
115	115
116	116	(C) (1) AN ENTITY SUBJECT TO THIS SECTION SH ALL PROVIDE 14
117	117	COVERAGE FOR AN ANNU AL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WELLNESS VISIT , REGARDLESS 15
118	118	OF THE ASSESSMENT RE SULTING IN A BEHAVIO RAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS . 16
119	119
120	120	(2) AN ENTITY SUBJECT TO THIS SECTION SHALL P ROVIDE 17
121	121	REIMBURSEMENT FOR AN ANNUAL BEHAVIORAL HE ALTH WELLNESS VISI T ON THE 18
122	122	SAME BASIS AND AT TH E SAME RATE AS AN AS SESSMENT THAT RESULT S IN A 19
123	123	BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DI AGNOSIS. 20
124	124
125	125	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall apply to all 21
126	126	policies, contracts, and health benefit plans issued, delivered, or renewed in the State on or 22
127	127	after January 1, 2026. 23
128	128
129	129	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 24
130	130	January 1, 2026. 25
131	131