Both houses of the Maryland General Assembly approved a bill that will make Maryland’s healthcare Adult Youth Subsidy a permanent program.

The favorable votes are major hurdles in the legislative process. Now the bill just needs to get through some minor legislative housekeeping and get a signature from Gov. Wes Moore to become law.

The bill will give subsidies to people aged 18-37 that buy health insurance on the state marketplace and make up to 400% of the federal poverty level.

The program is paid for through a reinsurance fund that uses federal money reinvested from cost savings on healthcare.

If the bill becomes law, the program will be funded through 2028.

Young adult enrollment increased by 27% from 2023 to 2024. That increase can’t be directly attributed to the program, since it coincided with other benefits like enhanced federal subsidies and Medicaid redeterminations.

However, Vincent DeMarco, president of Maryland Healthcare for All! says the program does have an impact.

“The exchange announced that they had over almost 240,000 people in the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, the highest number ever,” he said. “They highlighted that a huge proportion of that, was young people for the first time. More than ever before, and I think that's almost surely due in large part to the young adult subsidy program.”

According to the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, young people saved an average $38 a month on healthcare premiums.

Prescription Drug Affordability Board

Meanwhile, another bill is jumping through the hoops it needs to become law.

Advocates are working to expand the purview of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which currently has the authority to set upper payment limits on drugs bought through state insurance plans.

The bill, which would expand the board’s jurisdiction to private plans in the state, passed the House on Friday.

It still has not been voted on in committee in the Senate.