# Maryland SB 0975: Health Insurance - Coverage for Specialty Drugs Maryland SB 0975, Health Insurance - Coverage for Specialty Drugs, is a 2025 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Clarence K. Lam (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-20 (Approved by the Governor - Chapter 728); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MD-SB0975-2025RS - 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 0975 - State: Maryland - Session: 2025 Regular Session - Title: Health Insurance - Coverage for Specialty Drugs - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-02-03 - Last action: 2025-05-20, Approved by the Governor - Chapter 728 - Sponsor: Clarence K. Lam (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: Health - Insurance, Drugs -see also- Cannabis; ControlDangSubst; Pharm; etc., Health Insurance -see also- ACA; HMOs; MCOs, Health Maintenance Organizations -see also- Manage Care Orgs, Health Occupations -see also- (specific health occupations), Health Services Cost Review Commission, Medical Treatments, Nonprofit Organizations, Reimbursement Rates - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (181 yes, 2 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 3 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - More specialty drug coverage for patients: benefit, high. The law applies to Maryland health plans issued, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. Plans cannot exclude qualifying specialty drugs dispensed or administered by eligible providers in-network for covered cancer care. Providers must meet state licensing and regulatory requirements. Co… - Equal specialty drug payments for pharmacies: benefit, low. Beginning January 1, 2026, pharmacy benefits managers working for health insurers must extend payment-parity protections to these covered specialty drugs. They cannot pay a pharmacy or pharmacist less than they pay themselves or an affiliate for the same product or service. This protection excludes… - Negotiated drug payments with provider caps: mixed, low. Beginning January 1, 2026, health plans and eligible in-network providers can agree on payment rates for these covered specialty drugs. Without an agreement to another rate, payment cannot exceed the rate for a designated specialty pharmacy. The drugs must be billed at a nonhospital level of care o… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Clarence K. Lam (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-07 | House | Third Reading Passed | pass | 134 | 2 | 4 | | 2025-03-31 | Senate | Third Reading Passed | pass | 47 | 0 | | ## Actions (13) - 2025-05-20: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 728 - 2025-04-07: Returned Passed (Senate) - 2025-04-07: Third Reading Passed (134-2) (House) - 2025-04-03: Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed (House) - 2025-04-03: Favorable Report by Health and Government Operations (House) - 2025-04-02: Rereferred to Health and Government Operations (House) - 2025-04-01: Referred Rules and Executive Nominations (House) - 2025-03-31: Third Reading Passed (47-0) (Senate) - 2025-03-28: Second Reading Passed with Amendments (Senate) - 2025-03-28: Favorable with Amendments {263927/1 Adopted (Senate) - 2025-03-27: 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_728_sb0975t.pdf) - Third Reading, 2025-03-28: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0975t.pdf) - First Reading, 2025-02-03: [PDF](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0975f.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_728_sb0975t.pdf) - [Third Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0975t.pdf) - [First Reading (PDF)](https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/bills/sb/sb0975f.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-SB0975-2025RS (as of 2026-10-17).