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Ch. 93                                     2004 LAWS OF MARYLAND

(b)     The Maryland Insurance Administration, in consultation with the
Maryland Health Care Commission, shall study:

(1)     the number of, and the regulatory requirements, including rating of
health status, relating to, health insurance carriers in Delaware, the District of
Columbia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia; and

(2)     the role of tax-deferred health savings accounts and other models of
offering health insurance coverage designed to increase consumer awareness of the cost
of health care services.

(c)      The Maryland Health Care Commission shall study:

(2) (1) the factors that contribute to increases in health care costs in
Maryland, including utilization of health care services;

(3)     the role of tax deferred health savings accounts and other models of
offering health insurance coverage designed to increase consumer awareness of the
cost of health care services;

(4)     (2) ways to educate consumers about health care issues and
promote personal accountability in health care;

(5) (3) ways in which disease management programs can promote the
appropriate management of chronic diseases;

(6) (4) ways to encourage strategies to purchase health care that focus
on quality and patient safety, patient safety, and wellness;

(7) (5) ways to facilitate a more effective and efficient health care
delivery system, including improved information technology and evidence-based
medicine; and

(8)     (6) innovative programs in other states designed to encourage the
appropriate use of health care services; and

(7)     ways to make health insurance more understandable to both
employers and consumers.

(b) (d) Based on the study studies conducted under subsection (a)
subsections (a) through (c) of this section, the Commission Maryland Health Care
Commission and the Maryland Insurance Administration shall develop
recommendations on ways to make private health insurance more affordable for
Maryland residents.

(e) The Commission (e) The Maryland Health Care Commission and the
Maryland Insurance Administration, in accordance with § 2-1246 of the State
Government Article, shall submit to the General Assembly the following reports on its
findings and recommendations:

(1)     an interim report on or before January 1, 2005; and

(2)     a final report on or before January 1, 2006.

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