The Daily Record
December 29, 2025
Hope Keller
Excerpt:
Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Health Care for All coalition, said he had two primary goals for 2026 that are achievable thanks to previous actions by the General Assembly.
“One is to protect Maryland from the problems coming out of Washington, and that’s Easy Enrollment,” a 2019 measure that allows uninsured Marylanders to check a box on their state tax return to seek a determination on eligibility for free or low-cost health plans.
DeMarco’s second goal is to make sure lower-income Marylanders can afford plans on Maryland’s health insurance marketplace. A measure passed last year created state-based health care subsidies to replace federal subsidies in case they lapsed – which they will in 2026.
“They have come up with a great backup plan,” DeMarco said, hailing the efforts of Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk, then the chair of the Health and Government Operations Committee. Peña-Melnyk was recently elected the 109th speaker of the House of Delegates.
The state subsidy will replace 100% of the lost federal subsidy for people earning less than 200% of the federal poverty level; it will also provide a phased replacement of the federal subsidies for those earning between 200% and 400% of the poverty level.
DeMarco also pointed to the work of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which was created by the General Assembly in 2019 to set upper limits for what state and local governments pay for certain high-cost drugs. Under a law passed in the regular 2025 General Assembly session, the board will be able to set upper price limits on private plans beginning in 2026.
“We’ll protect Marylanders from a lot of these costs,” DeMarco said.
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Last modified: December 29, 2025
