Health Care and Reproductive Rights in the 2023 Session

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UULM-MD joined other advocates in Maryland in 2022 to support Reproductive Health Care Rights legislation in anticipation of the Supreme Court's decision on 6/24/22 to overturn Roe v Wade. In 2023, in the wake of the end of Roe v Wade, we continue to work with these advocates on 4 bills to protect access to abortion and other reproductive health care, not just for Marylanders, but for those who might travel to maryland to seek care for both Marylanders, and also to protect the clinicians and advocates who assist them.

Also in 2023, UULM-MD supported the Maryland Medical Assistance Program--Gender-Affirming Treatment (Trans Health Equity Act). This bill would require Maryland Medical Assistance (Medicaid) to provide the full range of gender-affirming medical and surgical treatments, and would prohibit Medical Assistance insurers from denying gender-affirming-care without having the case reviewed by a physician who is experienced in this field.

• HB 705 / SB 798 - Declaration of Rights to Reproductive Liberty: Constitutional protections at the state level for contraception and abortion.

• HB 808 / SB 859 - Shielding Bill: Protect those obtaining, providing or supporting abortion care in Maryland from prosecution in states that ban abortions.

• HB 812 / SB 786 - Data Privacy Bill: Restrict access to sensitive reproductive healthcare information.

• HB 477 / SB 341 - Public Senior Higher Education Institutions - Reproductive Health Services Plans - Requirements. Require state university health centers to provide access to contraception and self-managed abortion.

• HB 283 / SB 460 - The Maryland Medical Assistance Program--Gender-Affirming Treatment (Trans Health Equity Act ). Requires Maryland Medical Assistance (Medicaid) to provide the full range of gender affirming medical and surgical treatments, and prohibits Medical Assistance insurers from denying gender-affirming-care without having the case reviewed by a physician who is experienced in this field.  

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This map of the US from the Guttmacher Institute 1/18/22 shows how Maryland is surrounded by

states where abortion is illegal or severely restricted.

Declaration of Rights – Right to Reproductive Liberty

In 2022, we supported the movement to enshrine Marylanders’ right to abortion access in the state constitution (the Maryland Declaration of Rights), and we plan to do so again in 2023.  Maryland has a unique opportunity to solidify its protections for abortion access this year. If passed by the General Assembly, it will be on the ballot as a constitutional amendment in November 2024. While Maryland law already guarantees the legal right to the procedure, having the right in the constitution would not only strengthen this right, it would also make restrictions—which anti-choice legislators introduce every year—more difficult. Without access to abortion, the right is meaningless. 

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Other Health Issues

UULM-MD will continue to participate with the Health Care for All Coalition to support
the expansion and improvements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Maryland to reduce the number of Marylanders without health insurance coverage through  anticipated legislation including:

• (HB 279/SB 202) Prescription Drug Affordability Board - Upper Payment Limits

• Health Care Subsidies for Young Adults—Make permanent the 2021 law providing $20 million a year for two years to provide lower income young people (18-34) health care subsidies. It is estimated over 46,000 young people have been enrolled and this was a 7% increase.

• (HB 111/SB 26) Maryland Medical Assistance Program, Maryland Children's Health Program, and Social Services Programs - Eligibility and Enrollment: Which would automatically enroll up to 65,000 recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) automatically into Medicaid if they are not already enrolled.

• (HB 107/SB 59) Maryland Health Benefit Exchange – Small Employers – Special Enrollment Period and Marketing—Provides $5 million a year for 5 years
  for outreach to help small businesses get their employees enrolled in health care
  plans.

• (HB 363/SB 365) Access to Care-- Health Care for Undocumented Immigrants –Immigration Issue Team is UULM-MD’s lead team working with CASA to expand health care coverage to immigrants in Maryland regardless of their status, click here for more information.