Maryland Makes Major Strides in Mental Health Care With Signing of Key Bills

Governor Wes Moore on Tuesday signed four major mental health bills into law, an important step for ongoing bipartisan efforts to increase access to care, strengthen the behavioral health workforce, and improve protections for patients and families across the state.

These four new measures will:
• Enhance access to integrated behavioral healthcare statewide by requiring coverage for the Collaborative Care Model and directing a study on eliminating cost-sharing. Learn more about SB428/HB746.
• Improve student access to school psychological services by authorizing Maryland to join the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact, a multistate agreement that enables licensed school psychologists to practice across member states through streamlined licensure. Learn more about SB238/HB340.
• Require routine mental health screenings during the perinatal period and strengthen referral pathways to care, helping ensure patients are identified early and connected to appropriate mental health treatment and support services. Learn more about SB891/HB1118.
• Improve patients’ continuity of care when their provider is no longer in their insurance network by enhancing notification requirements, transitional care provisions, and special enrollment rights for health insurance enrollees affected by material changes to provider networks. Learn more about SB521/HB684.

Together, these measures build on Maryland’s ongoing efforts to strengthen access to mental healthcare and address longstanding barriers that make it harder for people to get the care they need. “These bills address critical gaps in care by expanding access to integrated behavioral health services, strengthening the mental health workforce, supporting maternal mental health, and helping protect continuity of care for patients,” said David Lloyd, Chief Policy Officer at Inseparable.