Historical Documents - Maryland Health Benefit Exchange
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Historical Documents

The following events played a key role in our establishment as a public corporation and independent unit of state government.

Meeting: HCRCC Selects Essential Health Benefits Benchmark

The Health Care Reform Coordinating Council (HCRCC) recommended changes in the state’s Essential Health Benefits (EHB) benchmark at its meeting on Dec. 17, 2012. The changes were intended to promote greater stability in the small group and non-group markets when essential health benefits went into effect on Jan.1, 2014, and to provide for enhancements to behavioral health and habilitative services benefits.

HCRCC recommendations:

  1. Adopt the state’s largest small group plan (CareFirst BlueChoice HMO HSA Open Access plan) as Maryland’s base benchmark plan;
  2. Import into EHB in the non-group market the state mandates not already covered by the small group plan;
  3. Designate for the state’s behavioral health benefit a benefit that better achieves parity (GEHA Standard Option federal employee plan); and
  4. Designate for the state’s habilitative services benefit the current state mandate up to age 19, with adoption of small group rehabilitative benefit as habilitative benefit for over age 19.