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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland Requires Health Insurers to Cover Scalp Cooling Systems for Cancer Patients
Last action · April 14, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 51Sponsor: Dawn Gile
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What This Bill Does
Maryland law now requires certain insurers, s, and s that cover chemotherapy to also cover scalp cooling systems for hair preservation during cancer treatment, effective January 1, 2027.
Cancer patients enrolled in regulated Maryland health plans gain insurance coverage for medical devices that prevent or reduce hair loss during chemotherapy starting in 2027.
- Scalp cooling caps are medical devices used during chemotherapy infusions to constrict blood vessels in the scalp, lowering the absorption of chemotherapy drugs by hair follicles to reduce hair loss. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Health insurance carriers and managed care organizations
Carriers providing chemotherapy coverage must expand their policy benefits to include medical scalp cooling systems for cancer treatment.
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy
Enrollees in covered health plans become eligible for insurance benefits covering devices that prevent or reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which health plans are required to cover scalp cooling systems?
When does this insurance coverage requirement take effect?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
15 actions- Apr 14, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 51
- Apr 3, 2026SenateFloorReturned Passed
- Apr 2, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed (127-6)
- Apr 1, 2026HouseFloorFavorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
- Apr 1, 2026HouseCommitteeFavorable Report by Health
- Mar 25, 2026HouseHearing 3/26 at 2:00 p.m.
Show 9 earlier actions
- Mar 25, 2026HouseHearing canceled
- Mar 17, 2026HouseHearing 3/26 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 20, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Health
- Feb 19, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (43-0)
- Feb 17, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed
- Feb 17, 2026SenateFloorFavorable Adopted
- Feb 16, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable Report by Finance
- Jan 21, 2026SenateHearing 2/04 at 1:00 p.m.
- Jan 19, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Finance
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Coverage Expansion for Cancer Care Support
Maryland explicitly adds supportive medical technology for hair preservation during chemotherapy into mandated health insurance benefit requirements.
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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