Victories for Annapolis Public Health!

The 2023 session of the Maryland General Assembly is officially over! The Horizon Foundation and its statewide partners have been busy this year, supporting dozens of bills that would strengthen the state’s mental health and behavioral health system, improve access to insurance affordable, quality health care, support our healthcare workforce, and promote health equity in Maryland. The Legislature has passed the following Foundation-supported bills, and each one is heading to Governor Moore’s desk.

SB 3/HB 271: The very first bill passed this session! This bill provides an additional $12 million in much-needed funding to the 988 Trust Fund to support reliable planning and capacity building for the Maryland 988 Mental Health Crisis Network. The Foundation also wrote a testimonial to support from the Maryland Department of Health’s Behavioral Health Administration budget to fully fund 988 and other behavioral health services.

SB 283/HB 418: Establishes a statewide fund to assist with the costs associated with the education, training, certification, recruitment, placement, and retention of behavioral health professionals and paraprofessionals. The bill also requires the Maryland Health Care Commission to conduct a comprehensive assessment of behavioral health workforce needs. This bill will help expand the mental and behavioral health workforce so that all Marylanders can access the care they need.

SB 601/HB 814: Drops sunset on a law passed in 2021 that invested up to $20 million a year for two years to help low-income young adults ages 18 to 34 buy health coverage.

SB 806: Sets up a study to recommend different potential pathways to quality, affordable health care coverage for people not eligible for the Maryland Medical Assistance Program, Maryland Children’s Health Insurance Program, or plans qualified health providers through the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange.

SB 555: Moves the date to increase Maryland’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

SB 228/HB 614: establishes a statewide care coordination program providing cognitive assessments, dementia assistance programs, supports for caregivers assisting people with dementia, technical support to local agencies on Aging (AAA) and linking caregivers and patients to healthcare providers.

SB 101/HB 48: Continuously expands access to and reimbursement for services provided under the collaborative care model under the state Medicaid program. This will expand access to mental health care for all Marylanders, including Howard County residents, using a proven patient-centered model.

SB 362: Requires the Maryland Department of Health to pursue the establishment of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCS) through a federal application process. CCBHCS offers a full range of outpatient mental health and addictions treatment and care coordination, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

SB 582/HB 1148: establishes the Commission on Treatment and Access to Behavioral Health Care, which will make recommendations regarding on-demand behavioral health services. This will strengthen Maryland’s continuum of behavioral and mental health care, resulting in much-needed community supports for communities that have never had access to them.

Not all of the bills we have supported this year have been passed – in particular, we are very disappointed that the Access to Care Act, which would have expanded access to the health insurance market in the statement to all Marylanders, regardless of immigration status, failed to gain traction in the Senate despite passing the House. The Foundation will continue to support efforts to expand access to affordable, quality health care for all uninsured residents.

THANK YOU to all of our statewide partners and community members who worked so hard this session and raised their voices in support of improving our health care system and health equity. health in our state.