There are no fewer then five regulatory agencies controlling the States health care system. Patients medical records are being fed into a government database without their knowledge or consent. Maryland leads the nation on the number of mandates imposed upon health plans. According to a recent U.S. General Accounting Office report, Maryland's mandates add 22 percent to the cost of a typical health benefits package. A State agency sets all rates hospitals may charge for medical services, regardless of supply and demand.
Prices bear little or no relation to market forces.
Although Maryland's law has expanded coverage to more businesses and insureds, modified community rating must continue to be reviewed in order to ensure affordability of coverage. In 1993 the state of New York implemented legislation requiring insurers to accept all applicants regardless of health and charge the same premium for health insurance to all regardless of age or gender. This would result in the lowering of the premium of older applicants while increasing the cost for younger applicants. This resulted in a large number of young and healthy policyholders dropping their coverage, leaving an older and less healthy population of insured. The ultimate result was higher premiums and fewer healthier insured on which to spread the risks.