SB 910 requires certain health insurance policies, contracts, and certificates in Maryland to reimburse services provided by graduate-level clinical interns in counseling, social work, and psychology when those services would otherwise be covered if performed by a fully licensed practitioner. The bill adds new provisions to the Insurance Article for graduate-level counseling interns, graduate-level social work interns, and graduate-level psychology interns, and it ties reimbursement to specific conditions: the services must be provided in an outpatient health care facility, the intern must be enrolled in an appropriate graduate program, the intern must work under direct supervision of a licensed professional, and the claim must be billed by the supervising practitioner.
The measure amends Sections 15-704, 15-707, and 15-714 of the Insurance Article to expand existing parity-style reimbursement rules for mental health and behavioral health services. In practical terms, insurers and nonprofit health service plans must treat qualifying intern-provided services the same as covered services delivered by licensed counselors, social workers, or psychologists, so long as the statutory supervision and billing requirements are met. The Act applies to policies, contracts, and health benefit plans issued, delivered, or renewed in Maryland on or after January 1, 2027.
The overall sentiment reflected in the voting history was strongly favorable. The bill passed the Senate 44-0 and the House 132-0, indicating unanimous support in both chambers. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, but the unanimous floor votes suggest broad agreement that the bill would improve access to reimbursable behavioral health services while maintaining professional supervision safeguards.
There is little evidence of formal opposition in the available record, but the main policy issue embedded in the bill is the balance between expanding reimbursement and preserving quality control. The bill’s conditions on outpatient setting, graduate enrollment, direct supervision, and billing by the supervising licensed professional appear designed to address concerns about oversight, credentialing, and insurer liability. Any potential contention would likely have centered on whether insurers should be required to pay for services delivered by interns rather than fully licensed providers, but the unanimous votes suggest those concerns were not significant enough to generate recorded opposition.
SB 910 expands Maryland insurance reimbursement law by expressly requiring coverage for qualifying services provided by graduate-level counseling, social work, and psychology clinical interns under supervision. It amends the Insurance Article to add new reimbursement entitlements for these intern services and applies the changes to health insurance policies and health benefit plans issued, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. The bill affects insurers, nonprofit health service plans, supervising licensed clinicians, graduate training programs, and patients receiving outpatient behavioral health services.
The bill appears to have enjoyed broad bipartisan support and little visible controversy. It passed both chambers unanimously, with a 44-0 Senate vote and a 132-0 House vote. That voting pattern suggests lawmakers generally viewed the bill as a practical access-to-care measure that also preserves supervision and billing controls.
No committee testimony or recorded floor debate was provided, so there is no direct evidence of active opposition in the available materials. The likely point of policy tension was whether insurers should be compelled to reimburse services delivered by graduate-level interns rather than only licensed practitioners. The bill addresses that concern by limiting reimbursement to outpatient settings, requiring direct supervision by licensed professionals, and requiring billing through the supervisor, which likely reduced any opposition from insurers or licensing stakeholders.