Maryland Department of Health - Study on Maryland Medical Assistance Program Reimbursement of Hospice Room and Board Services
Maryland Department of Health - Study on Maryland Medical Assistance Program Reimbursement of Hospice Room and Board Services
Healthcare
Passed Legislature
This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.
Sponsor
Senator Mautz
Last action
2026-03-27
Official status
In the House - First Reading House Rules and Executive Nominations
Effective date
2026-07-01
Plain English Breakdown
Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.
Maryland Department of Health - Study on Maryland Medical Assistance Program Reimbursement of Hospice Room and Board Services
Requiring the Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical Assistance Program jointly to study the impact of requiring the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide reimbursement for room and board services provided by a hospice house; and requiring the Department to report its findings to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee by December 1, 2026.
What This Bill Does
Requiring the Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical Assistance Program jointly to study the impact of requiring the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide reimbursement for room and board services provided by a hospice house; and requiring the Department to report its findings to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee by December 1, 2026.
Limits and Unknowns
This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 611
(First Reading File Bill)
AMENDMENT NO.
AMENDMENTS TO SENATE BILL 611
(First Reading File Bill)
AMENDMENT NO.
1
On page 1, strike beginning with “Division” in line 4 down through “Health” in
line 5 and substitute “ Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical
Assistance Program jointly”.
AMENDMENT NO.
2
On page 1, strike beginning with “Division” in line 11 down through “Health” in
line 12 and substitute “ Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical
Assistance Program jointly ”; in line 16, strike “quantify” and substitute “ analyze”; in
the same line, after “per” insert “ enrollee”; in line 17, strike “as a result of the use of
hospice care; and” and substitute “ associated with hospice care utilization during the
last 6 months of life compared with costs associated with other services provided to
Program enrollees during the last 6 months of life, including the impact on:
(i) avoided inpatient hospital stays;
(ii) emergency department utilization; and
(iii) intensive treatments near the end of life;”;
in line 18, after “(2)” insert “ analyze the projected fiscal impact of the provision of
reimbursement for hospice house room and board services, including any potential
offsets or net savings;
(3)”;
SB0611/613026/1
BY: Finance Committee
SB0611/613026/01 Finance Committee
Amendments to SB 611
Page 2 of 2
in line 20, strike “hospice” and substitute “ hospital”; in line 22, before “result” insert
“improve early access to hospice services;
(iv)”;
and in the same line, strike “and”.
Bill History
2026-04-10Senate
Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance
2026-03-27House
Referred Rules and Executive Nominations
2026-03-24Senate
Third Reading Passed (41-0)
2026-03-23Senate
Favorable with Amendments { 613026/1 Adopted
2026-03-23Senate
Second Reading Passed with Amendments
2026-02-09Senate
Hearing 2/24 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-02-05Senate
First Reading Finance
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Maryland Department of Health - Study on Maryland Medical Assistance Program Reimbursement of Hospice Room and Board Services
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - Senate - Committee - Finance
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Third - Maryland Department of Health - Study on Maryland Medical Assistance Program Reimbursement of Hospice Room and Board Services
Official Summary Text
Requiring the Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical Assistance Program jointly to study the impact of requiring the Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide reimbursement for room and board services provided by a hospice house; and requiring the Department to report its findings to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee by December 1, 2026.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*sb0611*
SENATE BILL 611
J1, J3 6lr2924
CF HB 1151
By: Senator Mautz
Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2026
Assigned to: Finance
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 23, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Maryland Department of Health – Study on Maryland Medical Assistance 2
Program Reimbursement of Hospice Room and Board Services 3
FOR the purpose of requiring the Division of Health Care Financing and Medicaid within 4
the Maryland Department of Health Maryland Health Care Commission and the 5
Maryland Medical Assistance Program jointly to study the impact of requiring the 6
Maryland Medical Assistance Program to provide reimbursement for room and board 7
services provided by a hospice house; and generally relating to a study of 8
reimbursement for hospice room and board services under the Maryland Medical 9
Assistance Program. 10
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That: 12
(a) The Division of Health Care Financing and Medicaid within the Maryland 13
Department of Health Maryland Health Care Commission and the Maryland Medical 14
Assistance Program jointly shall study the impact of requiring the Maryland Medical 15
Assistance Program to provide reimbursement for room and board services provided by a 16
hospice house, as defined in COMAR 10.07.22.02. 17
(b) The study required under subsection (a) of this section shall: 18
(1) quantify analyze overall Maryland Medical Assistance Program 19
savings per enrollee death as a result of the use of hospice care; and associated with hospice 20
care utilization during the last 6 months of life compared with costs associated with ot her 21
2 SENATE BILL 611
services provided to Program enrollees during the last 6 months of life, including the impact 1
on: 2
(i) avoided inpatient hospital stays; 3
(ii) emergency department utilization; and 4
(iii) intensive treatments near the end of life; 5
(2) analyze the projected fiscal impact of the provision of reimbursement 6
for hospice house room and board services, including any potential offsets or net savings; 7
(3) examine how the provision of reimbursement for room and board 8
services would: 9
(i) affect hospice hospital readmission rates; 10
(ii) improve hospice length of stay; 11
(iii) improve early access to hospice services; 12
(iv) result in a reduction in deaths in hospitals; and 13
(iv) (v) result in a reduction in emergency department utilization; 14
and 15
(4) include a comparison of other states that provide reimbursement for 16
hospice house room and board service, including a comparison of: 17
(i) payment models; 18
(ii) utilization outcomes; and 19
(iii) cost impacts. 20
(c) On or befo re September 30 December 1, 2026, the Maryland Department of 21
Health shall report its findings to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health 22
Committee, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article. 23
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 24
1, 2026. 25