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Panel urges removal of 65‑year age cap for Maryland’s Employed Individuals with Disabilities Medicaid buy‑in
Summary
Vice Chair Bonnie Collison asked the committee to remove the 65‑year age cap from Maryland’s Employed Individuals with Disabilities Medicaid buy‑in program, arguing the change would let older workers keep critical waiver services and could save the state money by avoiding institutional care.
Vice Chair Bonnie Collison asked the House Health and Government Operations Committee on behalf of the bill sponsor to remove the 65‑year age cap for Maryland’s Employed Individuals with Disabilities (EID) Medicaid buy‑in program.
The bill would allow people older than 65 who meet the EID criteria to remain enrolled. “The bill before you today is simply eliminating that 65 years of age cap,” Collison told the committee, saying she hoped the change would let people “continue working and be contributing members to our society.”
Nut graf: Sponsors and advocates said the change would preserve essential waiver services that allow participants to work, and that including older enrollees could draw federal matching funds. They acknowledged cost concerns in Department of Health (MDH) modeling and in the fiscal note but argued the long‑term savings from avoiding institutional care could be larger.
Supporters described the program and the people it serves. Greg Snyder of the Maryland Association of Community Services, testifying for the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Coalition, said the program “promotes the concept of real jobs with real wages” and described an example of a Baltimore man who became ineligible after retirement income slightly exceeded the limit. Joshua Basil, who identified himself as a quadriplegic and EID participant, told the committee the program allowed him to work, support a family and avoid institutional care.
Sponsors and witnesses gave program details the committee used to frame potential costs and tradeoffs: EID is a Medicaid buy‑in for working Maryland residents with disabilities who meet Social Security medical criteria; applicants must be age 16–65 under current law, live in Maryland, pay state taxes, have less than $10,000 in assets and—if eligible—may receive services that supplement or substitute for private coverage. Collison said MDH estimated about 400 residents would become newly eligible if the cap were removed and that the fiscal modeling put state share of the cost at roughly half of an estimated multi‑million‑dollar total. She said those costs should be weighed against possible downstream spending if people lose benefits and later require nursing‑home care.
Committee questioning: Members pressed Collison and Snyder for fiscal detail and asked whether continuing EID enrollment would draw federal match and reduce state‑only spending. Snyder and Collison said federal matching funds apply when service costs are delivered through Medicaid and that state‑only funding for people excluded from EID can be costlier over time. Members also asked whether counting spousal income and asset limits might discourage work or marriage; witnesses said existing benefit cliffs do create disincentives and that the group had continued discussions with MDH about cost‑sharing and spousal income treatment.
No formal action was taken in the hearing. Sponsors said they plan to continue intersession talks with MDH on cost and eligibility details.
Ending: Collison asked for a favorable committee report and said advocates and participants would continue to work with MDH on cost‑sharing and implementation details.
Quotes used in this article are drawn from the hearing transcript and are attributed only to speakers who appeared in committee testimony or questioning.
