It is hard to believe that last Monday, March 23rd served as cross-over date during the Maryland Legislative Session. This is the date where a bill, a piece of legislation in one chamber (either the House or Senate), needs to pass through to the opposite chamber in order to have the best chance at making it to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
As many of you know, Maryland became the 6th state to pass legislation as part of the So Every BODY Can Move initiative during the 2024 Maryland Legislative Session. The law went into effect on January 1st, 2025 and it requires insurance companies that are regulated by Maryland laws to provide coverage for an additional prosthesis for physical activity when determined to be medically necessary by the individual’s care provider. This includes state commercial insurance plans, state employee insurance plans, and state Medicaid plans.
During this legislative session, we looked to expand on the current law to include coverage for activity-specific orthoses. Having learned a lot from the past two years, the Maryland coalition, led by Sheryl Sachs, MSPO, CPO, worked with legislators to hit the ground running this past January with the start of the legislative session.
Once again, Maryland had two bills filed when session started, SB 276, championed by Senator Pam Beidle and co-sponsors Senator Dawn Gile and Senator Shelly Hettleman, and HB 445, championed by Delegate Ashanti Martinez and original co-sponsor Delegate Bonnie Cullison.
Both bills had hearings in February, and our patient, John Singer, graciously testified at both hearings to share his story and the impact that passing this legislation would have on the lives of Marylanders like himself should it pass. His powerful testimony, along with the other advocates, painted a picture as to the importance of this medically-necessary care.
We are excited to share that both bills passed out of their chambers prior to the crossover date! They are moving their way through the opposite chambers, and we hope that before the end of session on April 13th, they will pass!