Committee backs fund to support population‑health projects tied to Maryland's AHEAD model

The Budget and Taxation Committee approved legislation to establish a Population Health Improvement Fund to support initiatives tied to Maryland's AHEAD total cost of care model.

Elizabeth Crom, assistant secretary for population health and strategic initiatives at the Maryland Department of Health, told the committee the fund would be jointly administered by the Maryland Department of Health and the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) and limited to purposes set out in the state's agreement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Crom said the fund could accept public and private contributions and cited four broad categories of funding uses: clinical interventions to improve quality of care, programs to improve health behaviors, investments addressing health‑related social needs such as housing, transportation and food, and improvements to the physical environment such as access to recreation.

Crom told members the HSCRC in December 2024 voted for a one‑time $25 million assessment already accounted for in 2025 hospital rates; the bill would authorize the HSCRC to assess in the future, subject to statutory limits and sunsets in the reprint. The bill also includes provisions expanding permitted uses of clearinghouse data for population health work, a point Crom said the Maryland Health Care Commission had discussed previously.

Senator Cormann asked for examples of targeted goals or metrics; Crom listed preventable disease reduction and chronic disease management among enumerated targets in the state agreement. Committee members noted the bill's committee history and record; the transcript records a prior finance committee vote. After brief questions, the committee voted in favor of the measure by voice vote.

If enacted, the fund would provide a statutory vehicle for pooled public and private funding aimed at population‑level interventions under Maryland's federal AHEAD agreement; implementation details would be governed by the state agreement and HSCRC processes.