Maryland’s enrolled HB 1351 would change insurer panel rules and application timelines for several behavioral health professionals seeking network participation.
Maryland bill focuses on insurer provider panels
According to the Maryland General Assembly, House Bill 1351 is an enrolled bill from the 2025 regular session concerning health insurance provider panels and credentialing for behavioral health care professionals. The Maryland General Assembly states that the bill was introduced by Delegate Ghrist with numerous co-sponsors and was considered by the Health and Government Operations and Finance committees.
The Maryland General Assembly describes HB 1351 as a measure that would amend Section 15-112(g) of the Insurance Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. As an enrolled bill, the Maryland General Assembly says HB 1351 passed both the House and Senate and was presented for gubernatorial action after the 2025 legislative session. The source extract does not state that the measure was enacted.
Changes described in the bill text
According to the Maryland General Assembly, HB 1351 would alter which providers of certain community-based health services a health insurance carrier is prohibited from rejecting for participation on the carrier’s provider panel.
The Maryland General Assembly also states that the bill would change the period within which certain insurance carriers must accept or deny provider-panel applications. The applications addressed in the bill include those from social workers, counselors, therapists, and psychology associates seeking to participate in an insurance carrier’s provider network.
The Maryland General Assembly’s source extract characterizes the bill’s purpose as speeding up and broadening insurer credentialing for behavioral health professionals, including licensed social workers, professional counselors, therapists, and psychology associates.
Potential relevance to covered behavioral health care
According to the Maryland General Assembly, credentialing can affect whether behavioral health professionals are able to join insurance networks and accept patients with covered care. The bill’s proposed changes concern insurer processes and provider-panel participation rather than a specific treatment, facility, or named care provider.
The Maryland General Assembly’s extract also places HB 1351 among behavioral health credentialing and access measures considered during the 2025 session, as described in the Maryland Psychiatric Society’s session recap cited by the extract.
What this means for Maryland patients
If enacted, the changes described by the Maryland General Assembly could be relevant to Maryland patients looking for behavioral health professionals who participate in insurance networks. People seeking treatment locally can use the directory, which lists 100 published clinics in Maryland, while checking directly with providers and insurers about current network participation.
This is general information, not medical advice.
More Maryland reporting on access & coverage.
This report is educational and is not medical advice. Coverage, availability and eligibility can change; verify details with the named source or your care team.