The Maryland General Assembly is a 90 day session. At the stroke of midnight, the 2021 Session came to a close on Monday, April 12th. Throughout the 90-day session the Chapter and our lobbying team worked to promote our goals, objectives and point of view on the issues important to our profession and the communities we serve. This included successfully advocating for telehealth parity and preservation, temporary licensure for PTs and PTAs, and a number of health equity and anti discrimination bills that all passed.
APTAMD was involved in the development and passage of legislation focused on preserving telehealth expansion and authority granted by the State and federal government which proved essential to maintain continuity of care especially when the health care system was limited to urgent care only. House Bill 123/Senate Bill 3 – Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2021 maintains audio only interactions, payment parity for visits, and patients being able to receive care in their homes. There is a comprehensive study of the telehealth system to be conducted over the next two years, with recommendations to be made in advance of the 2023 Legislative Session.
We along with the broader provider community expressed concerns over legislation, House Bill 1021/Senate Bill 758 – Health Insurance – Incentive Arrangements – Authorization, that would have made significant changes to Maryland insurance law and allowed for two-sided risk sharing arrangements between health care providers and insurers. The bills were withdrawn and will be the subject of discussions among stakeholders over the Summer and Fall.
Key Contacts are APTAMD members who serve as the primary contacts with their Senators or Representative in the key Maryland General Assembly Committees. Key Contacts are vital in establishing valuable relationships with legislators to increase awareness of the issues that face the physical therapy profession. Key Contacts are encouraged to meet with their members throughout the year and provide feedback on the meetings to the Chapter. If you are interested in being a key contact for your legislative district, please contact us.
If you are interested in being a part of the committee or would like more information on how to be an advocate for the profession, please contact us.
Meeting with your legislator can be a powerful way to get your message across, as well as to listen to any health care related questions or concerns your legislator may have. It is a great way to build a relationship between APTA of Maryland and the legislator. Please consider contacting the Chapter first for more detailed information prior to your meeting including current cosponsors or existing relationships with your legislator. Also, please let us know how your meeting went and if APTA of Maryland need to follow-up on the meeting in some way.
Legislation Action Center
APTA members can login to send prewritten letters to their legislators. The Legislative Action Center contains letters for current state and federal issues. Members can also find practice visit resources and a schedule of local town hall meetings with their legislators under the “Grassroots Resources” tab.
Patient Action Center
Patients and nonmembers can send prewritten letters to their members of Congress. The Patient Action Center contains letters focused on the patient impact of certain federal issues and bills. Learn more about the benefits of physical therapy at ChoosePT.com.
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