Bill > HB1151

This bill mandates that the Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical Assistance Program (the state's Medicaid program, which provides health coverage to low-income residents) jointly conduct a study to assess the implications of the Medical Assistance Program reimbursing hospice houses for room and board services. The study will analyze overall savings for the Medical Assistance Program per enrollee death related to hospice care utilization in the last six months of life, comparing it to costs of other services, and will examine the projected financial impact of providing this reimbursement, including potential offsets or net savings. It will also investigate how such reimbursement might affect hospital readmission rates, improve hospice length of stay and early access to services, reduce hospital deaths, and decrease emergency department utilization, while also comparing payment models, utilization outcomes, and cost impacts in other states that already offer this type of reimbursement. The Maryland Department of Health is required to report the findings of this comprehensive study to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee by December 1, 2026.