Healthcare

Seniors

The End the Wait Act (HB 1403) requires the Department of Health to make a plan to eliminate the waitlists for eight waiver programs that provide the elderly and the disabled with the support they need to live in their communities instead of in large institutional settings.

After years of advocacy, we finally expanded access to basic dental care for approximately 800,000 Marylanders with passage of HB 6 – Dental Coverage for Adults on Medicaid.

HB 97 establishes a workgroup to study the shortage of behavioral health professionals in the State who are Black, Latino, Asian American Pacific Islander, or otherwise underrepresented in the behavioral health profession. The workgroup must also assess and make recommendations on incentives or other methods to increase the number who provide behavioral health services in the State, especially in underserved communities.

I am very pleased by our growing investment in behavioral health supports. HB 48/SB 94 establishes the Maryland Suicide Fatality Review Committee to identify and address the factors contributing to suicide deaths and facilitate systemic changes to prevent suicide death. HB 129 requires that local government crisis teams minimize the role of law enforcement in crisis interactions and that call centers that handle emergency calls develop a written policy for calls involving an individual suffering an active mental health crisis.

And HB 912 requires that health insurance carriers ensure that an out of network mental health of substance use disorder service received is provided at no greater cost to the individual than if the covered benefit were provided by an in-network provider. Given the shortage of behavioral health professionals who participate in insurance, this provision will help Marylanders afford the care they need.

PROTECTING WOMEN’S HEALTH

I was so proud to sponsor HB 937, the Abortion Care Access Act, which represents the most comprehensive state action in the nation in response to the Supreme Court’s potential overturn of Roe v. Wade. The legislation solves the critical shortage of abortion providers in the state by removing an outdated physician-only restriction that prevents Advanced Practice Clinicians from providing abortion care. It also invests in clinical training opportunities for reproductive healthcare providers ensuring that Marylanders will have adequate access to care no matter what happens on the national level. The legislation also makes access to care more affordable by prohibiting insurance carriers from charging co-pays and deductibles and also makes Medicaid coverage for abortion care permanent.

The Healthy Babies Equity Act (HB 1080) guarantees prenatal and postpartum care to undocumented pregnant women and automatically enrolls their babies into Maryland Medicaid for the first year of their lives. Maryland can apply for matching federal funding and will likely see fiscal savings due to expected decreases in pregnancy complications and adverse fetal outcomes.

HB 970, which I sponsored, removes barriers to critical care for sexual assault survivors by prohibiting insurance carriers from requiring pre-authorization for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medications to guard against HIV infection.

My legislation, HB 219, expands access to oral hygiene treatments for pregnant women during regular prenatal checkups. Research shows 56% of pregnant women receive no other dental care throughout their pregnancy.

HB 109 improves the newborn screening program by requiring that babies in Maryland be screened for each condition listed in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Recommended Uniform Screening Panel. More comprehensive screening can help families identify critical conditions and access life-saving treatment for their children more quickly.

SUPPORTING SENIORS

The Retirement Tax Elimination Act (SB 405) is provided for individual seniors 65 and older with up to $100,000 in income, and married couples making up to $150,000. Under this relief, 80% of Maryland retirees will get substantial tax relief or pay no state income taxes at all.

Aging in Place

We know that the majority of seniors wish to age in place and remain at home for as long as possible and I have long sought to reduce the state’s bias towards institutionalized care. Currently, there is an 8-year wait and over 20,000 seniors on the waitlist for services utilizing the Home and Community Based Services Waiver. I am so pleased that this year we finally passed legislation to maximize opportunities for seniors to stay home and receive the help they need with daily tasks. SB 28 requires the Department of Health to maximize the number of slots available and open slots more frequently. I was also proud to sponsor two bills that will support innovative living options for seniors: HB 972 promotes programs that allow seniors to age in place at home with support services and guaranteed placement in assisted living or nursing homes if necessary in the future. HB 1051 establishes an adult day health care service pilot program in Howard and Montgomery Counties. This increases care to our elderly population by providing services under the Maryland Medical Assistance Program.

HB 166/SB 27 – Dementia Services Act of 2022 – establishes a Director of Dementia Services and Brain Health in the Maryland Department of Health to coordinate dementia services in the state and directs the issuance of the State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders by September 2022 and to update it every five years.

HB 1073 – Accessibility of Electronic Advance Care Planning Documents – implements the recommendations of a workgroup tasked with increasing the awareness and use of advance care planning documents for end of life care.

To ensure Marylanders can afford insulin, HB 1397 requires insurers that provide coverage for prescription insulin to do so at no more than $30 for a 30 day supply.

HEALTHCARE HEROES WORKFORCE SUPPORTS

As we entered the second year of the COVID pandemic, I gathered healthcare stakeholders to discuss legislative action we could take to address the severe healthcare workforce crisis. I championed five bills as a result of those discussions:

HB 1208 addresses the critical nursing shortage by establishing a tax credit for nursing education preceptors and creates a certification pathway for 2000+ caregivers who worked in our long-term care facilities during the pandemic on an emergency basis.
HB 625 establishes a two-year commission to identify our healthcare workforce needs across all health occupations and in all settings including schools and behavioral health facilities; to examine our educational institutions’ capacity to train this workforce, and to study licensure barriers faced by refugees and immigrants with professional healthcare training in other countries.
HB 218– Health Occupations-Nursing- Dialysis Technicians repeals an unnecessary requirement that a Dialysis Technician must be a Certified Nursing Assistant which will help dialysis centers care for their patients.
SB 696– establishes a student loan repayment fund for nurses, nurse assistants and other nursing support staff similar to one that already exists for physicians.
SB 518– Career Pathways for Health Care Workers Program is a $1 million matching grant program to incentivize health care employers to cover costs for training programs for their employees at one of Maryland’s community colleges or HBCU’s. This will allow these workers to increase their skills and earn higher salaries.