By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Maryland’s Easy Enrollment program, created in 2019, is officially available for 2026, allowing uninsured residents to check a box on their state tax returns to determine their eligibility for affordable health insurance.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of Maryland Health Connection
Maryland Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman (D) and other local leaders announced the opening at an event on Jan. 5 at the Center for Urban Families in Baltimore. The day also marked the launch of the Maryland Health Care for All’s $100,000 media campaign to inform Marylanders about this opportunity. Maryland Health Care for All is a coalition of business, community, faith and labor groups, working to ensure all Maryland residents have access to affordable health care.
The campaign includes radio, transit and digital ads, billboards and testimonials from online influencers. This was all made possible through the support of the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation, the Horizon Foundation, Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund, Johns Hopkins Health System, LifeBridge Health, the Maryland Hospital Association, Maryland Physician Care, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 1994 and the University of Maryland Medical System.
While open enrollment for Maryland health insurance ends Jan. 15, Maryland Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman (D) and local legislators emphasized that residents can still use the Easy Enrollment program via their state tax returns to secure coverage through April 15.
“Healthy Marylanders are productive Marylanders,” said Lierman. “When people can see a doctor, when they can get that preventative care, when they’re not choosing between paying for medicine or paying for rent, our entire economy is stronger.”
State officials reported that 160,000 Marylanders used the “check the box” method to learn more about their options, and about 19,000 signed up for health insurance through it.
“I’m pleased to report that enrollment has already surpassed last year’s total with more than 240,000 Marylanders as of today,” said Michele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Health Connection, on Jan. 5. “More than 36,000 enrollees, as of yesterday, are new to the exchange this year.”
Eberle attributed this success in part to the Maryland Premium Assistance program. For Marylanders who qualify, it helps make their current health insurance more affordable. For example, a 30-year-old earning $39,000 a year could see their monthly premium drop from $275 to $121 through this assistance.
The program comes as many Marylanders face higher health insurance premiums following the expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits on Dec. 31, 2025.
“Thousands of Marylanders greeted the new year not with cheers, but with increased anxiety, with increased worry and concern at the prospect of going out without health insurance,” said Lierman. “Kaiser Family Foundation data explains that for a typical 60-year-old making around 400 percent of the federal poverty level, premiums in Maryland could jump $400 plus a month this month.”
Lierman emphasized the importance of initiatives like this to make health insurance more accessible and affordable.
When the Easy Enrollment program was launched it was the first of its kind in the U.S., but as of this year, nine other states have joined the movement, creating something similar in their states. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has introduced similar legislation on the national level, that the check the box option may be on federal tax returns.
The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, the state agency that runs Maryland Health Connection, estimates the eligibility of uninsured residents who check the box.
Those considering applying can also visit marylandhealthconnection.gov to see if they are eligible.