Bill > SB611

This bill requires the Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to jointly study the financial and practical implications of the state's Medicaid program, known as Medical Assistance, covering room and board costs for services provided at a hospice house, which is a facility offering end-of-life care. The study will analyze potential savings for the Medical Assistance Program by comparing the costs of hospice care in the final six months of life to other services, including the impact on hospital stays, emergency room visits, and intensive treatments. It will also examine how covering room and board might affect hospital readmission rates, improve access to and length of hospice care, reduce hospital deaths, and decrease emergency department use, while also comparing these aspects to how other states handle similar reimbursement. The findings of this study are to be reported to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee by December 1, 2026.