Md. Code, Insurance § 15-601
This is the official text of Md. Code, Insurance § 15-601, part of Maryland’s Code, Insurance — regulates insurance companies and the policies they sell.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§15–601.
Official statutory text
(a) This section applies to insurers and nonprofit health service plans that provide hospital benefits in the State under individual, group, or blanket health insurance policies.
(b) Each entity subject to this section that offers benefits to an insured or beneficiary who uses designated low-cost hospitals, that are different from the benefits offered when other hospitals are used, shall base its designation of a low-cost hospital on information that:
(1) excludes the reasonable cost of medical education and of uncompensated care as determined by the Health Services Cost Review Commission;
(2) excludes the cost associated with a shock trauma facility as determined by the Health Services Cost Review Commission;
(3) excludes the amount in rates approved by the Health Services Cost Review Commission for undergraduate nursing education;
(4) excludes from consideration each hospital that is determined by the Maryland Health Care Commission to be a sole community provider; and
(5) compares hospitals on a regional basis, unless the entity demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that a statewide comparison is more appropriate.
(c) An entity subject to this section that provides hospital benefits under subsection (b) of this section may not subsidize those benefits from premiums earned by other benefit plans, programs, or policies.
(b) Each entity subject to this section that offers benefits to an insured or beneficiary who uses designated low-cost hospitals, that are different from the benefits offered when other hospitals are used, shall base its designation of a low-cost hospital on information that:
(1) excludes the reasonable cost of medical education and of uncompensated care as determined by the Health Services Cost Review Commission;
(2) excludes the cost associated with a shock trauma facility as determined by the Health Services Cost Review Commission;
(3) excludes the amount in rates approved by the Health Services Cost Review Commission for undergraduate nursing education;
(4) excludes from consideration each hospital that is determined by the Maryland Health Care Commission to be a sole community provider; and
(5) compares hospitals on a regional basis, unless the entity demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that a statewide comparison is more appropriate.
(c) An entity subject to this section that provides hospital benefits under subsection (b) of this section may not subsidize those benefits from premiums earned by other benefit plans, programs, or policies.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.