MD HB459

Counties must provide firefighters employed by the county coverage for preventive cancer screenings following International Association of Fire Fighters guidelines, with no copayments, coinsurance, or deductibles required

Counties may alternatively satisfy the requirement by offering a no-cost annual examination that includes the cancer screenings, or by applying for a state grant under Title 13, Subtitle 40 of the Health-General Article to fund innovative screening technologies like multicancer early detection blood tests

Counties must collect data for 2026 and 2027 on eligible firefighters, screenings provided, cancer diagnoses resulting from screenings, and average and total costs, then report this data to the Maryland Health Care Commission by June 1, 2027 and June 1, 2028

The Maryland Health Care Commission must study the impact of expanding this preventive cancer screening coverage to the commercial insurance market and report findings to the General Assembly by December 1, 2028

Effective January 1, 2026; approved by Governor Wes Moore on May 20, 2025