SB 641 Maryland Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Health Insurance - Required Coverage - Hearing Aids

SB 641 requires Maryland health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and health maintenance organizations to cover medically appropriate hearing aids for both minors and adults if prescribed, fitted, and dispensed by a licensed audiologist or hearing aid dispenser. The bill mandates coverage but limits insurer payments to $1,400 per hearing aid per impaired ear every 36 months. Individuals may choose more expensive hearing aids and pay the difference without penalties to the provider. This applies to all health insurance policies issued, delivered, or renewed in Maryland on or after January 1, 2026.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Apr 2025

House of Delegates Passage

Apr 2025

Signed into Law

May 2025

Introduced Jan 29, 2025 Signed May 20, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Health Insurance - Required Coverage - Hearing Aids → Third - Health Insurance - Required Coverage - Hearing Aids · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended to add a new section requiring hearing aid coverage for adults, expanding the original bill which only covered minors. The amendment also added explanatory notes about how the bill text should be interpreted and included signature lines for approval.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded from only covering hearing aid coverage for minors to also requiring coverage for adults who are covered under health insurance policies or contracts.

REQUIREMENT

Added new Section 1(b) requiring coverage for hearing aids for adults, matching the existing requirements for minors.

Added new Section 1(c) requiring entities to provide coverage for all medically appropriate and necessary hearing aids for adults when prescribed, fitted, and dispensed by a licensed audiologist or hearing aid dispenser.

Added new Section 1(d) allowing entities to limit benefits for adults to $1,400 per hearing aid per ear every 36 months.

Added new Section 1(e) allowing insured individuals to choose hearing aids priced higher than the benefit limit and pay the difference without penalty.

DEFINITION

Added new Section 1(a) defining what constitutes a hearing aid for adults, specifying design and circuitry requirements for adult environments.

TECHNICAL

Added explanatory notes about capitalization, brackets, underlining, and strike-through text to clarify how amendments are marked in the bill.

Added signature lines for Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Delegates for bill approval.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 23, 2025 · House of Delegates Mar 15, 2025

How they voted

46–0

Passed

Total votes 46

Feb 23, 2025

D Democratic33

33 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican13

13 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 20, 2025

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 743

executive

Apr 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

Returned Passed

upper

Apr 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Mar 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed

lower

Mar 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Favorable Report by Health and Government Operations

lower

Mar 15, 2025

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (134-0-5)

house of delegates

Mar 13, 2025

Committee

Referred Health and Government Operations

lower

Mar 12, 2025

Upper · Passed

Third Reading Passed

upper

Mar 11, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments {

upper

Mar 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance

upper

Feb 23, 2025

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (46-0)

senate

Jan 29, 2025

Committee

First Reading Finance

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors