WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 1100

Public Health - Health Equity Dashboard

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Heather Bagnall Tudball and 23 co-sponsors

Maryland requires a public health equity dashboard tracking disparities across demographics and geography to improve transparency and accountability in health outcomes.

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 663
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 1100

Legislative bill overview

HB 1100 requires Maryland's Department of Health to develop and maintain a public Health Equity Dashboard that tracks health disparities across demographic groups and geographic areas. The dashboard will collect, analyze, and publicly report data on health outcomes, social determinants of health, and healthcare access to identify and monitor inequities in the state's health system.

Why is this important

Health disparities in Maryland—such as differences in maternal mortality, chronic disease rates, and healthcare access between racial and socioeconomic groups—persist but often lack transparent, centralized tracking. This dashboard would make health inequity data publicly accessible, enabling policymakers, healthcare providers, researchers, and community organizations to identify problem areas and measure progress on equity initiatives. Transparency can drive accountability and help direct resources to underserved populations.

Potential points of contention

  • Data privacy and implementation costs: Collecting and disaggregating health data by multiple demographic variables raises privacy concerns and requires significant IT infrastructure investment and ongoing maintenance expenses
  • Defining and measuring "equity": Disagreement may exist over which health metrics matter most, how to account for confounding factors, and whether disparities reflect systemic inequities versus other variables
  • Actionability gap: A dashboard alone doesn't guarantee action; critics may argue resources should fund direct interventions rather than data infrastructure, while proponents contend transparency is a necessary first step

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.