MHCC 27-013 EVALUATION OF UNCOMPENSATED CARE GRANTS

The Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) is soliciting a fixed-price contract for a professional evaluation of uncompensated care grants provided to local health departments and federally-qualified health centers. The primary objective is to determine if shifting $25 million from hospital rate adjustments to community settings preserves healthcare access, reduces unnecessary emergency department utilization, and contains statewide costs. The contract term runs from December 2026 through April 2028, with key deliverables including a project management plan, performance indicator sets, a data collection and management plan, an evaluation analysis plan, and a final summary of findings presented to the Commission. Award decisions will be based on the most advantageous proposal to the State, with technical factors weighted more heavily than financial factors. Proposed staff must possess a minimum of five years of experience in health benefit actuarial consulting. Contractors must adhere to strict quality standards, including WCAG 2.1 Level AA digital accessibility and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. Proposals must be submitted via eMMA in two separate volumes: a technical proposal containing qualifications and a work plan, and a financial proposal. Administrative requirements include bi-weekly status reports, a three-year record retention policy, and compliance with Maryland Living Wage and nondiscrimination regulations.