Maryland Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Maryland?

Maryland continued to climb in the ranking of healthiest states – climbing from to #21 in the study results released by the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• Maryland earned Top 10 rankings in six categories. It's top rating: for access to primary care physicians with 179.7 physicians per 100,000 population.
• The state showed long-term improvement in two categories. The prevalence of smoking dropped from 20.1 percent to 14.9 percent of the population over the past five years while the rate of cancer deaths decreased from 200.4 to 198.5 deaths per 100,000 population over the past 10 years.

The bad news:

• The state's rate of violent crime remains the nation's 9th worst, with 628 offenses per 100,000.
• Maryland's rate of infectious disease (35.3 cases per 100,000 population) is the second worst in the nation – second only to New York.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Primary care physicians – #2
• Prevalence of smoking – #4
• Children in poverty – #5
• Public health funding – #7
• Immunization coverage – #7
• Poor physical health days – #8
• Violent crime – #42
• Infectious disease – #49

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Maryland.

Does Maryland have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

Maryland Health Insurance Plan
Toll-free 1-888-444-9016 (M-F 8am-5pm)

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting in 2010, Maryland will offer health coverage to residents through the federally established temporary high-risk pool program. To find out more about Maryland's participation, click here.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state to state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the pool to keep it in the black. In the best cases, they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Read more about risk pools here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Maryland

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Maryland and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Maryland.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

Georgetown University's Guide to Health Insurance in Maryland

Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute has researched and written state-by-state guides for finding and keeping health insurance. It updates these guides as federal and state policies change. A number of non-profit organizations help fund its research. Learn more about the Health Policy Institute.

Review Georgetown's guide for Maryland.

USNews health insurance rankings for Maryland

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Maryland.

Official State Goverment Sites with Maryland Health Insurance Information

Maryland Health Care Commission -- links to consumer guide to health insurance, provided by the State of Maryland.

Maryland Medical Assistance Program -- providing access to health care services for many of the state’s low-income residents. Individuals may be eligible for services through the Maryland Medicaid Program, the Maryland Children’s Health Program or the Maryland Primary Adult Care Program (PAC).

Maryland Children's Health Program (MCHP) -- uses federal and state funds to provide health care coverage to low-income children 18 and under and pregnant women of any age.