In less than a week, the Maryland General Assembly will convene for its 437 ^th session, where 47 Senators and 141 Delegates will draft, debate, revise, and pass laws to improve the lives of the 6 million Marylanders they represent.

 

Where hospitals are concerned, 2017 is expected to be a complicated and hard-fought legislative session. And as they do every year, your MHA Executive Committee supported a small set of core legislative priorities that will be front and center throughout the 90-day session:  

Of course our advocacy efforts will expand beyond these three. We'll fight efforts to question the tax-exempt status of Maryland's hospitals, work to modernize physician self-referral laws so that hospitals and doctors can collaborate more closely, fight for more funding for Maryland's three Institutions for Mental Disease, and advocate for a sensible plan that addresses concerns about a shortage of nurses qualified to perform sexual assault forensic exams ... among many others. (Additional advocacy materials, like the 2017 Legislative Agenda, key infographics, and single-page issue papers, are available here.)

 

This work doesn't even begin to touch the state's legislative response to any actions taken by an incoming Trump administration that will impact Medicaid funding and the future of Maryland's All-Payer Model.

 

In short, the next three months will see a flurry of activity with the potential to fundamentally change how health care is paid for and delivered in Maryland. To help keep track of all this work, keep an eye out for the weekly Advocacy Dashboard on our website, which will provide the most up-to-date status on legislation that has been introduced. 

 

As always, MHA will work closely with your staffs in Annapolis to be your voice before legislators, committees, the Senate and House of Delegates. We will make sure that hospitals are heard as lawmakers make decisions that affect your ability to meet your mission of care. And, as always, MHA stands ready to assist you during session. To contact our government relations team, email Jane Krienke at jkrienke@mhaonline.org.