# Maryland HB 1087: Health Insurance - Step Therapy or Fail-First Protocols - Drugs to Treat Associated Conditions of Advanced Metastatic Cancer

Maryland HB 1087, Health Insurance - Step Therapy or Fail-First Protocols - Drugs to Treat Associated Conditions of Advanced Metastatic Cancer, is a 2025 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Harry Bhandari (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-20 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 706); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-HB1087-2025RS
- 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 1087
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: Health Insurance - Step Therapy or Fail-First Protocols - Drugs to Treat Associated Conditions of Advanced Metastatic Cancer
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-02-05
- Last action: 2025-05-20, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 706
- Sponsor: Harry Bhandari (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 23
- Subjects: Health - Insurance, Health Maintenance Organizations, Drugs -see also- Cannabis; ControlDangSubst; Pharm; etc., Health -see also- COVID19; EnvHlth; MedCon; etc., Health Insurance -see also- ACA; HMOs; MCOs, Health Maintenance Organizations -see also- Manage Care Orgs, Health Occupations -see also- (specific health occupations), Medical Conditions -see also- AIDS; COVID-19; rabies, Medical Treatments, Nonprofit Organizations, Physicians -see also- MedExmnrs; Pediatr; Psychiatrists etc.
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 2 (181 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Fewer drug barriers for advanced cancer patients: benefit, medium. Beginning January 1, 2026, Maryland law bars covered health plans from requiring patients to try other drugs first for qualifying prescriptions. This applies to policies, contracts, and health benefit plans issued, delivered, or renewed in Maryland on or after that date. The drug must be FDA-approv…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Harry Bhandari (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Tiffany T. Alston (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Heather Bagnall (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: Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Teresa E. Reilly (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Samuel I. Rosenberg (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kim Ross (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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-02 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 46 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025-03-17 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 135 | 1 | 2 |

## Actions (17)

- 2025-05-20: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 706
- 2025-04-02: Returned Passed (House)
- 2025-04-02: Third Reading Passed (46-0) (Senate)
- 2025-03-28: Second Reading Passed (Senate)
- 2025-03-28: Favorable Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: Favorable Report by Finance (Senate)
- 2025-03-17: Referred Finance (Senate)
- 2025-03-17: Third Reading Passed (135-1) (House)
- 2025-03-15: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (House)
- 2025-03-15: Favorable with Amendments {593222/1 Adopted (House)
- 2025-03-15: Favorable with Amendments Report by Health and Government Operations (House)
- 2025-02-26: Hearing 2/28 at 12:00 p.m. (House)
- 2025-02-26: Hearing canceled (House)
- 2025-02-17: Hearing 2/28 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2025-02-17: Hearing canceled (House)
- 2025-02-12: Hearing 2/27 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2025-02-05: First Reading Health and Government Operations (House)

## Bill text

- First Reading, 2025-05-20: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_706_hb1087t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2025-03-15: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb1087t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2025-02-05: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb1087f.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
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_706_hb1087t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb1087t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/hb/hb1087f.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-HB1087-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).