House Bill 170 would extend the sunset date for the Maternal and Child Health Population Health Improvement Fund so Maryland’s Department of Health can spend remaining balances and continue Medicaid and public-health programs, witnesses told the House Health and Government Operations Committee.

Supporters said the bill does not request new money but would allow the state to continue drawing federal matching funds tied to the existing fund. “The bill ensures continued funding for critical maternal and child health programs in Maryland, only using existing funds, not requesting additional money,” said John Kromm, executive director of the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC).

The measure would change the fund’s current sunset from Dec. 31, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2027, supporters said. Kromm said the HSCRC has allocated $40,000,000 to date for maternal and child interventions and projects a remaining fund balance of about $24,100,000 at the end of fiscal 2025. Laura Goodman, deputy director of the Medicaid Office of Innovation, Research and Development at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), said MDH intends to spend the remainder by the end of 2027 if the extension is approved.

The nut graff: committee members were told the fund was seeded by a hospital uniform assessment created in 2021 and was chosen to support services that align with Maryland’s Total Cost of Care and AHEAD models. Goodman said the extended authorization allows Medicaid to draw federal matching dollars that effectively increase spending capacity for the benefits funded through the account.

Committee members pressed witnesses about program reach, implementation, and why a sizable balance remains. Goodman said some benefits were rolled out during the COVID-19 pandemic and that start-up work — creating a new provider type, establishing regulations, and building billing and program integrity processes — delayed full utilization. “We launched two of them in spring of 2022,” Goodman said, and added that the doula benefit in particular required iterations to make billing workable for community-based birth workers.

Witnesses identified several services funded or expanded by the account: statewide doula reimbursements, a home-visiting expansion that reached 14 jurisdictions, Centering Pregnancy group prenatal care, and HealthySteps pediatric services. Goodman said preliminary evaluations have shown improvements in measures including severe maternal morbidity, low birth weight and neonatal intensive care admissions, though she described these as preliminary evaluations rather than final, peer-reviewed findings.

Delegates asked whether the Medicaid program would be able to sustain the services without the fund. Goodman said most of the benefits are now represented in the Medicaid state plan (with one benefit described in the transcript as an “11.15 waiver”) and in COMAR regulations; if the fund sunsets without replacement, MDH would need additional general fund dollars to continue the services and to draw federal matching funds.

Several delegates also discussed the broader population affected: MDH staff testified that Maryland’s population is just over 6 million with about 1.5–1.6 million people on Medicaid. Committee members and witnesses emphasized the programs target lower‑income families and communities of color that experience higher maternal and infant health risks.

Supporters urged a favorable report. Kromm said the HSCRC “urges a favorable report” and Goodman closed by asking the committee to allow the department to continue drawing down federal match to sustain the services.

The committee concluded the HB 170 hearing after questions from multiple delegates and moved to the next agenda item.

Ending: The bill hearing record shows committee members sought additional follow-up details — including a more detailed jurisdictional breakdown of beneficiary demographics and confirmation of what would happen to unspent balances — and witnesses offered to provide follow-up information to the committee.