Maryland insurance law on MNT and nutrition counseling
The short answerMaryland requires insurers, nonprofit health service plans and HMOs to cover diabetes outpatient self-management training and educational services, including medical nutrition therapy, when a provider certifies it is necessary. Prediabetes is a named condition.
By Javier Alvarez · Updated · 1 min read
1 row: State insurance law · Maryland. Public policy, not the member's benefits.
Maryland insurance law
Fully insured plans (Md. Code, Insurance 15-822) · Maryland
| 97802 | Not published |
|---|---|
| 97803 | Not published |
| G0270 | Not published |
| G0271 | Not published |
| Where it applies | Insurers and nonprofit health service plans providing hospital, medical, or surgical benefits on an expense-incurred basis, and HMOs, under policies and contracts issued or delivered in Maryland. [1] |
| Diagnoses | Insulin-using diabetes, noninsulin-using diabetes, elevated or impaired blood glucose levels induced by pregnancy, and, consistent with American Diabetes Association standards, elevated or impaired blood glucose levels induced by prediabetes. [1] |
| Telehealth POS | Not published: call the payer. |
| Telehealth modifier | Not published: call the payer. |
| Visit limits | Deductibles and coinsurance may apply but may not be greater than those for similar coverages under the same policy. Coverage may not be reduced or eliminated due to the section. [1] |
| Referral and prior auth | The insured's treating physician or other appropriately licensed provider, or a physician who specializes in diabetes, must certify the services are necessary. [1] |
| Who can bill | Services are provided through a program supervised by an appropriately licensed, registered, or certified health care provider whose scope of practice includes diabetes education or management. Dietitians are not named. [1] |
- Maryland Code, Insurance Article, s. 15-822, checked October 30, 2026
What the Maryland law says
- Where it applies. Insurers and nonprofit health service plans providing hospital, medical, or surgical benefits on an expense-incurred basis, and HMOs, under policies and contracts issued or delivered in Maryland.
- Diagnoses. Insulin-using diabetes, noninsulin-using diabetes, elevated or impaired blood glucose levels induced by pregnancy, and, consistent with American Diabetes Association standards, elevated or impaired blood glucose levels induced by prediabetes.
- Visit limits. Deductibles and coinsurance may apply but may not be greater than those for similar coverages under the same policy. Coverage may not be reduced or eliminated due to the section.
- Referral and prior auth. The insured's treating physician or other appropriately licensed provider, or a physician who specializes in diabetes, must certify the services are necessary.
- Who can bill. Services are provided through a program supervised by an appropriately licensed, registered, or certified health care provider whose scope of practice includes diabetes education or management. Dietitians are not named.
What it means for a claim in Maryland
The law sets a floor for the plans it reaches; the plan's own policy and the member's contract still decide the codes, units and referral. On the benefits call, ask whether the plan is fully insured in Maryland, and if a covered service is denied, name the statute by section in the appeal. The sources below link to the statute itself.
Payers with their own row for Maryland: CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and Maryland Medicaid. The state laws side by side compare Maryland with other states.