Maryland Department of Health - Study on Maryland Medical Assistance Program Reimbursement of Hospice Room and Board Services
Summary
SB 611 requires the Maryland Department of Health, through the Division of Health Care Financing and Medicaid, the Maryland Health Care Commission, and the Maryland Medical Assistance Program, to jointly study whether Medicaid should reimburse hospice houses for room and board services. The study is directed to examine the fiscal and clinical effects of hospice care at the end of life, including potential savings to the Maryland Medical Assistance Program, reduced inpatient hospital stays, fewer emergency department visits, less intensive treatment near death, and changes in hospice utilization patterns such as length of stay, early access, and hospital readmissions.
The bill also requires a comparison with other states that reimburse hospice house room and board services, including their payment models, utilization outcomes, and cost impacts. A report of findings must be submitted to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee by December 1, 2026. The act takes effect July 1, 2026, but it does not itself mandate reimbursement; it creates a study to inform whether such a policy should be adopted.
Impact
SB 611 does not immediately change Medicaid reimbursement rules or create a new covered benefit. Instead, it directs state health agencies to evaluate the costs and benefits of reimbursing hospice house room and board under the Maryland Medical Assistance Program and to report to the General Assembly. Its practical effect is to place the issue on the state policy agenda and potentially lay the groundwork for future statutory or regulatory changes affecting Medicaid, hospice providers, hospice houses, and enrollees receiving end-of-life care.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received favorably, with the Senate committee reporting it favorably with amendments and the full Senate passing it unanimously, 41-0, on third reading. The absence of recorded committee debate in the provided materials suggests limited visible opposition in the available record. Overall, the sentiment is supportive of studying whether expanded hospice reimbursement could improve care and reduce costs.
Contention
The main policy question is whether Maryland Medical Assistance should pay for room and board in hospice houses, which could increase program spending in the short term but might be offset by savings from reduced hospital and emergency department use. Potential points of contention include the fiscal impact on Medicaid, whether reimbursement would meaningfully improve access and quality at the end of life, and how Maryland should structure any payment model compared with other states. Because the bill is a study rather than a mandate, any substantive disagreement likely centers on the merits and cost of a future reimbursement policy rather than the study itself.