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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland General Assembly Mandates Faster Credentialing Notices and Bans Application Fees for Health Care Providers
Last action · May 26, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 706Sponsor: Nancy King
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What This Bill Does
Health insurers are now required to send application status notices to health care providers within 5 to 15 days, face a $500 daily civil penalty for late notices, and are prohibited from charging application fees. Additionally, s are barred from limiting certain behavioral health and community providers on their panels and must update their online provider directories at least once every 15 days.
Health care providers experience faster processing times and financial protections beginning January 1, 2027, while insurance s must completely overhaul their communication channels and directory update procedures.
- Senate Bill 808 was enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland during the 2026 legislative session and signed into law by Governor Wes Moore as Chapter 706. context
- State insurance laws in Maryland regulate health insurance carrier operations, provider networks, and consumer protections under the Annotated Code of Maryland. 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 care providers and practitioners
Providers experience shortened review timelines, elimination of application fees, guaranteed direct communication channels, and daily penalty payments when carriers fail to meet notice deadlines.
Health insurers and carriers
Carriers must comply with stricter notification deadlines, eliminate application fees, maintain dedicated inquiry channels, and update internet directories every 15 days under threat of civil penalties.
Health insurance enrollees
Enrollees gain access to more frequently updated online provider directories and expanded behavioral health and community provider networks.
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
Can health insurance carriers charge doctors or other health care providers a fee to apply for a provider panel?
What happens if an insurance carrier fails to send timely notice regarding a provider's credentialing application?
How frequently must insurance carriers update their online provider directories?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
13 actions- May 26, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 706
- Apr 13, 2026SenateFloorReturned Passed
- Apr 13, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed (131-0)
- Apr 11, 2026HouseFloorFavorable Adopted Second Reading Passed
- Apr 11, 2026HouseCommitteeFavorable Report by Health
- Apr 10, 2026HouseCommitteeRereferred to Health
Show 7 earlier actions
- Apr 8, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred Rules and Executive Nominations
- Apr 8, 2026SenateFloorThird Reading Passed (43-0)
- Apr 7, 2026SenateFloorSecond Reading Passed with Amendments
- Apr 7, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 783629/1 Adopted
- Apr 6, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable with Amendments Report by Finance
- Feb 12, 2026SenateHearing 3/04 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 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.
Shift from Permitted Fees to Free Submissions
The law transitions policy from permitting carriers to charge reasonable credentialing application fees to completely prohibiting application fees while instituting daily financial penalties for late carrier notices.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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