# Maryland HB 0869: Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2025

Maryland HB 0869, Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2025, is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-13 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 482); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0869-2025RS
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland HB 0869
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2025
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-01-30
- Last action: 2025-05-13, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 482
- Sponsor: Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 22
- Subjects: Health - Insurance, Public Health, Controlled Dangerous Substances -see also- Drugs; Opioids, Health -see also- COVID19; EnvHlth; MedCon; etc., Health Care Commission, Health Insurance -see also- ACA; HMOs; MCOs, Health Maintenance Organizations -see also- Manage Care Orgs, Health Occupations -see also- (specific health occupations), Medical Assistance, Medical Testing and Diagnosis, Medical Treatments, Nonprofit Organizations, Patients, Reimbursement Rates, Reports, Standards and Best Practices, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Telephones
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (318 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Lasting Telehealth Coverage and Equal Provider Pay: benefit, medium. Beginning June 1, 2025, qualifying live audio-only calls remain telehealth, without the former June 30, 2025 expiration. Calls must provide a covered, billable health service. Maryland Medicaid and applicable Maryland insurers, nonprofit health plans, and HMOs must pay for appropriate covered teleh…
- Telehealth Pain Prescriptions With Care Safeguards: benefit, low. Beginning June 1, 2025, Maryland practitioners can prescribe Schedule II opiates for pain through telehealth within an established care relationship. The practitioner must have ongoing responsibility for the patient's assessment, care, and treatment. That practitioner or another in the same group p…
- Care Standards Protect Telehealth Patients: benefit, low. Beginning June 1, 2025, Maryland practitioners must follow the same care standards through telehealth as in person. Before treatment or prescribing, they must evaluate the patient in a way that fits the patient's needs and condition. This evaluation can use live telehealth or information reviewed l…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Tiffany T. Alston (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Heather Bagnall (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Harry Bhandari (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Brian Chisholm (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Bonnie Cullison (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Pam Lanman Guzzone (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Terri L. Hill (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Thomas S. Hutchinson (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Anne R. Kaiser (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kenneth Kerr (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Nicholaus R. Kipke (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Lesley J. Lopez (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Matthew Morgan (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Ashanti Martinez (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Teresa E. Reilly (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Samuel I. Rosenberg (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Steve Johnson (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kathy Szeliga (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Deni Taveras (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jennifer White Holland (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jamila J. Woods (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Teresa Woorman (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-03 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 140 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-02 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 45 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025-02-27 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 133 | 0 | 1 |

## Actions (18)

- 2025-05-13: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 482
- 2025-04-03: Passed Enrolled (House)
- 2025-04-03: Third Reading Passed (140-0) (House)
- 2025-04-03: House Concurs Senate Amendments (House)
- 2025-04-02: Third Reading Passed (45-1) (Senate)
- 2025-04-01: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2025-04-01: Favorable with Amendments {763525/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-03-31: Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: Hearing 3/20 at 1:30 p.m. (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: Hearing canceled (Senate)
- 2025-03-14: Hearing 3/20 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2025-02-28: Referred Finance (Senate)
- 2025-02-27: Third Reading Passed (133-0) (House)
- 2025-02-25: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2025-02-25: Favorable with Amendments {253329/1 Adopted (House)
- 2025-02-24: Favorable with Amendments Report by Health and Government Operations (House)
- 2025-02-03: Hearing 2/13 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2025-01-30: First Reading Health and Government Operations (House)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2025-05-13: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_482_hb0869e.pdf)
- Enrolled, 2025-04-03: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0869e.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2025-02-25: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0869t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2025-01-30: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0869f.pdf)

## Related bills

- HB 0384: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established (vetoed)
- SB 0227: Workers' Compensation - Payment From Uninsured Employers' Fund - Revisions (vetoed)
- HB 0482: Occupational Licensing and Certification - Criminal History - Predetermination Review Process (vetoed)
- SB 0157: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established (vetoed)
- HB 1294: Commercial Law - Credit Regulation - Earned Wage Access and Credit Modernization (became law)
- HB 0228: Maryland Veterans Trust – Assistance to Members of the Maryland National Guard (signed)

## Sources
- [Enacted (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_482_hb0869e.pdf)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0869e.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0869t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb0869f.pdf)

## Related
- [HB 0384: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0384-2025RS)
- [SB 0227: Workers' Compensation - Payment From Uninsured Employers' Fund - Revisions](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0227-2025RS)
- [HB 0482: Occupational Licensing and Certification - Criminal History - Predetermination…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0482-2025RS)
- [SB 0157: Maryland Disability Service Animal Program - Established](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0157-2025RS)
- [HB 1294: Commercial Law - Credit Regulation - Earned Wage Access and Credit Modernization](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB1294-2025RS)
- [HB 0228: Maryland Veterans Trust – Assistance to Members of the Maryland National Guard](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0228-2025RS)
- [Maryland bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland/bills)
- [Maryland state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/maryland)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB0869-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).