BALTIMORE – As the state prepares for its annual General Assembly session beginning Jan. 14, 2026, there are still new laws from last session set to take effect on New Year’s Day.
Below is a sample of some of the changes coming to Maryland law on Jan. 1, 2026.
No time limits on anesthesia coverage
House Bill 1086 states that if medical insurers in the state, including the Maryland Medical Assistance Program, cover anesthesia for a procedure, they have to cover it for the duration of the procedure and also cover care related to the anesthesia’s delivery immediately before and after the procedure. Insurance carriers and Medicaid cannot impose time limits on anesthesia delivery.
Late last year, the American Society of Anesthesiologists condemned a now-retracted proposal from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to not cover anesthesia over a certain time limit.
Ending fail-first protocols for diabetes, metastatic cancer side effects
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, two sets of cross-filed bills prohibit medical insurance providers from requiring step therapy, also known as fail-first protocols, for Type 1, Type 2 or gestational diabetes, or for symptoms or side effects of stage four advanced metastatic cancers. Fail-first protocols require patients to use one or a sequence of, usually cheaper, prescription drugs before their insurance company covers medication prescribed to them by their providers…