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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland requires health insurers and Medicaid to cover orthoses and expand prosthesis benefits starting in 2027
Last action · May 26, 2026: Approved by the Governor - Chapter 629Sponsors: Pam Beidle and 2 others
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What This Bill Does
Beginning January 1, 2027, the Maryland Medical Assistance Program, insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations must provide annual coverage for orthoses, components, repairs, and replacements under the So Every Body Can Move Act. The law also clarifies that mandated benefits cover all devices determined by a treating health care provider to be medically necessary for daily living, work, and physical activities like running or swimming.
Insured residents and Medicaid enrollees gain guaranteed annual insurance coverage for orthotic devices and expanded medical necessity standards for prostheses without separate annual dollar caps or higher copayments.
- Wes Moore serves as the Governor of Maryland and signed Senate Bill 276 into law as Chapter 629. 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.
Maryland Medical Assistance Program enrollees
Enrollees gain mandatory health coverage for orthoses and associated repairs, components, and replacements starting January 1, 2027.
Insurers and nonprofit health service plans
Insurers must provide annual coverage for orthoses, comply with Medicare-aligned medical necessity criteria, and report claims data to the state by June 30, 2032.
Health maintenance organizations
HMOs must provide annual coverage for orthoses and prostheses under contracts issued or delivered in Maryland.
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
When does the new orthosis coverage requirement take effect?
Can insurance companies set annual or lifetime dollar maximums on orthosis coverage?
What physical activities are included under the medical necessity standard for prostheses and orthoses?
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
15 actions- May 26, 2026Governor of MarylandEnrolledApproved by the Governor - Chapter 629
- Apr 3, 2026SenateFloorReturned Passed
- Apr 2, 2026HouseFloorThird Reading Passed (127-7)
- 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 with Amendments
- Feb 17, 2026SenateFavorable with Amendments { 803721/1 Adopted
- Feb 16, 2026SenateCommitteeFavorable with Amendments 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.
Staggered implementation and long-term reporting window
The law takes effect on January 1, 2027, but mandates that compliance reports covering calendar years 2027 through 2030 be submitted by June 30, 2032.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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