The General Assembly meets for the first day of the 2025 session next week — one week after some laws from last year’s session take effect. Some of the laws taking effect Jan. 1 include legislation to expand health care coverage, loosen zoning regulations and change traffic ticket pricing.
Here are some highlights:
Medicine
The So Every Body Can Move Act (House Bill 865/Senate Bill 614) will require Medicaid and insurers operating in the state to cover partial or whole leg, arm and eye prosthetics, as well as their components or repairs on an annual basis. Patients may also be eligible for the replacement of their prosthetics in certain cases. Importantly, insurers won’t be able to impose a lifetime maximum for this coverage or a higher copayment or coinsurance rates than their customers have for similar benefits.
House Bill 1259 seeks to expand coverage for medical imaging screenings for breast and lung cancer. For diagnostic and supplemental breast exams using MRIs, ultrasounds and image-guided biopsies, insurers won’t be able to impose copays, coinsurance or deductibles on patients unless enrolled in a high-deductible health plan. Patients will also be eligible for imaging in lung cancer screenings and follow-up testing, which won’t require prior authorization.
House Bill 1339/Senate Bill 778 will have a similar effect on the coverage of hearing aids. Insurers will be required to pay up to $1,400 per hearing aid for each ear every three years. If an insured patient wants a more expensive hearing aid, they will be able to pay the difference. Minors will be covered by the new law as well.
While the above laws deal with medical insurance for humans, the legislature also regulated pet insurance. House Bill 647 defines rules for pet insurance providers, such as requiring insurers to disclose coverage exclusions. Though the law takes effect on the first day of the year, the Maryland Insurance Administration will be required to create informational material for veterinarians across the state by June 1.
Transportation
Falling state highway revenues may be bolstered by section two of The Maryland Road Worker Protection Act of 2024 (House Bill 513), which will come into effect on New Year’s Day. The law, which partially began rolling out this past summer, provides higher ticket costs for speeding through a work zone.
In June, the penalty rose to $80, but the new pricing scheme effective in 2025 will depend on how much drivers go over the speed limit and if workers are present on the road during the offense. Going 12 to 15 miles per hour over the limit, the lowest tier in the pricing structure, will result in a $60 fine without workers present and $120 if they are. The highest penalty provided by the scheme would be $1,000 for going 40 or more mph over the speed limit in a work zone with workers present.
Work zones will also be given greater signage and have flashing lights to show when workers are present. Likewise, the “work zone speed control systems” will be adorned with flashing blue lights.
The state estimated that if 400,000 citations citations are issued in fiscal 2025, that could generate $25.5 million in revenue. The state Department of Transportation believes that as drivers become more aware of the new penalties, citation rates will fall 5% each year starting in fiscal 2026.
Housing
The Housing Expansion and Affordability Act of 2024 (House Bill 538) will require local jurisdictions to allow for the development of new housing by addressing common pitfalls for developers. First, the law will allow modular and manufactured homes to be built in zones designated for single-family homes, provided the home and the land meet certain requirements.
The law would also require jurisdictions to allow for greater density regardless of zoning for qualified projects. These qualified projects will necessarily entail a certain percentage of affordable housing units, depending on who owns the land, be it the state, federal government or a nonprofit, or if the land is three-quarters of a mile away from a rail station.
However, the increased density provisos won’t apply to agricultural land or land that’s being conserved. Qualified projects would also have to pass a public health assessment to be allowed to raise density.
Jurisdictions will be forbidden from imposing unreasonable requirements or limits on qualified projects in qualities like parking, height, setback or bulk.
Lastly, the law limits how many of each type of hearing a qualified project would be subject to.
It also creates the position of Historic Property Revitalization Director within the Department of Housing and Community Development to inventory state-owned properties over 50 years old and get them registered as historic places, if appropriate. The director will also work with various state agencies to find ways to either redevelop or otherwise “dispose” of the properties via real estate.
Housing affordability and supply have been an issue statewide, as Maryland housing costs are 15% more than the national average.
Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.
