Maryland HRP

Since 2003, Maryland has offered a health insurance program, The Maryland Health Insurance Plan (MHIP), to residents who are considered uninsurable either because they are high risk or have a history of medical problems that makes it difficult for them to find affordable insurance coverage in the individual market. In December 2005, MHIP introduced a special premium subsidy program for low income enrollees. Called MHIP+, the program offers discounted premiums and deductibles to individuals with incomes under 225 percent FPL.

MHIP also serves as the “fallback” option under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s (HIPAA) guaranteed portability requirement for those individuals transitioning from group to individual coverage. Maryland’s risk pool is funded by assessments on Maryland hospitals’ net patient revenues, a subsidy mechanism that distributes the cost of the risk pool broadly.