# Maryland SB 0902: Health Insurance - Access to Nonparticipating Providers - Referrals, Additional Assistance, and Coverage

Maryland SB 0902, Health Insurance - Access to Nonparticipating Providers - Referrals, Additional Assistance, and Coverage, is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Malcolm Augustine (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-20 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 661); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0902-2025RS
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Maryland SB 0902
- State: Maryland
- Session: 2025 Regular Session
- Title: Health Insurance - Access to Nonparticipating Providers - Referrals, Additional Assistance, and Coverage
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-02-03
- Last action: 2025-05-20, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 661
- Sponsor: Malcolm Augustine (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Health - Insurance, Health Maintenance Organizations, 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 Treatments, Meetings -see also- Hearings; Open Government, Mental and Behavioral Health -see also- Aut; Cogn; Dev; etc., Nonprofit Organizations, Open Government, Reimbursement Rates, Substance Abuse, Substance Abuse Treatment, Sunset
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 2 (181 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- In-network costs for referred Maryland patients: benefit, medium. These protections apply to Maryland health plans issued, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. Care received through the required outside-referral process counts as in-network care for deductibles, copays, and coinsurance. Referred mental health and substance use care cannot cost patie…
- More specialist access for Maryland patients: benefit, medium. Beginning June 1, 2025, Maryland permanently continues existing rules for referrals to and payment for outside specialists. Expanded rules apply to Maryland health plans issued, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. Insurers must provide timely outside referrals when patients need spec…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Malcolm Augustine (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-03-31 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 134 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025-03-12 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 47 | 0 |   |

## Actions (13)

- 2025-05-20: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 661
- 2025-03-31: Returned Passed (Senate)
- 2025-03-31: Third Reading Passed (134-0) (House)
- 2025-03-28: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (House)
- 2025-03-28: Favorable Report by Health and Government Operations (House)
- 2025-03-15: Hearing 3/20 at 1:00 p.m. (House)
- 2025-03-13: Referred Health and Government Operations (House)
- 2025-03-12: Third Reading Passed (47-0) (Senate)
- 2025-03-11: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate)
- 2025-03-11: Favorable with Amendments {253123/1 Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-03-10: Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance (Senate)
- 2025-02-06: Hearing 2/26 at 1:00 p.m. (Senate)
- 2025-02-03: First Reading Finance (Senate)

## Bill text

- Enacted, 2025-05-20: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_661_sb0902t.pdf)
- Third Reading, 2025-03-11: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0902t.pdf)
- First Reading, 2025-02-03: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0902f.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_661_sb0902t.pdf)
- [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0902t.pdf)
- [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0902f.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-SB0902-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).