Maryland Medical Assistance Program - Self-Directed Mental Health Services - Pilot Program

SB 448 establishes a pilot program within Maryland's Medicaid system (Maryland Medical Assistance Program) allowing eligible individuals with mental health needs to direct their own care. The bill creates a "self-directed services" model where participants, selected by the Department of Health, control their care budgets and choose providers through a personalized "person-centered plan" focused on independence, community inclusion, and crisis prevention. Key mechanisms include participant decision-making authority over service selection and spending, support from "support brokers," and requirements that services be culturally responsive, community-based, and aligned with the individual's goals. This directly affects Medicaid recipients with mental health needs who qualify for the pilot, shifting care management from agency-directed to participant-directed. The program aims to improve quality of life by prioritizing individual choice within the Medicaid framework.