Mid-Atlantic Health Law TOPICS

1. The Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, led by Lieutenant Governor Boyd K. Rutherford, has produced 33 recommendations in its Final Report that was published December 1, 2015. The recommendations are categorized as follows: expanding access to treatment; enhancing quality of care; boosting overdose prevention efforts; escalating law enforcement options; reentry and alternatives to incarceration; promoting educational tools for youth, parents, and school officials; and, improving state support services.

2. The Maryland Health Care Commission released its 2015 Comprehensive Quality Report and abridged Consumer Edition Quality Report, which compare the performance of Maryland's Commercial Health Benefit Plans. In the 2015 Report, Kaiser Permanente received the highest overall rating for HMOs and CareFirst CFMI received the highest overall rating for PPOs. The reports enable human resource managers and consumers to make informed decisions when choosing a plan.