Medicaid plans › Maryland
Maryland Medicaid Managed-Care Plans for Providers
Enrollments are billed 50% at the start and 50% at submission; everything else 100% at the start.
Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) is run by the Maryland Department of Health. 1,665,870 people were enrolled in its 9 managed-care plans in 2024. To see their patients, a provider enrolls with Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) through ePREP, the Maryland electronic Provider Revalidation and Enrollment Portal, then applies to each plan separately.
| Plan | Members (2024) | Share | Parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority Partners | 384,354 | 23.1% | In-state |
| Wellpoint Maryland | 350,641 | 21% | Elevance Health |
| Maryland Physicians Care | 266,727 | 16% | In-state |
| UnitedHealthcare Community Plan | 187,674 | 11.3% | UnitedHealth Group |
| Kaiser Permanente | 138,432 | 8.3% | Kaiser Permanente |
| MedStar Family Choice | 115,530 | 6.9% | MedStar Health |
| CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan Maryland | 114,806 | 6.9% | In-state |
| Aetna Better Health of Maryland | 75,366 | 4.5% | CVS Health |
| Jai Medical Systems | 32,340 | 1.9% | In-state |
How Joining Works in Maryland
First the state: Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) enrollment through ePREP, the Maryland electronic Provider Revalidation and Enrollment Portal, which gives you the Medicaid ID every plan asks for. Then the plans: each takes its own participation request and credentials you from your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile. 5 parent companies run plans here, and plans owned by the same company still contract state by state.
How to Join Each Maryland Plan
Wellpoint Maryland (Elevance Health): Elevance Health plans take participation requests through the plan's provider site for that state, most of them now inside Availity Essentials, and credential from your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile. Each state is its own contract.
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan (UnitedHealth Group): UnitedHealthcare Community Plans use UnitedHealthcare's provider onboarding: a participation request on the UnitedHealthcare provider site, credentialing from your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile, then a state-specific Community Plan agreement.
Kaiser Permanente (Kaiser Permanente): Kaiser Permanente mostly delivers care through its own medical groups, so outside providers are added when Kaiser has a network need for the specialty and area.
Aetna Better Health of Maryland (CVS Health): Aetna Better Health plans each have a state-specific "Join our network" request on aetnabetterhealth.com. They are separate from Aetna's commercial network, so an Aetna commercial contract does not carry over.
Priority Partners, Maryland Physicians Care, MedStar Family Choice, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan Maryland, Jai Medical Systems: This plan is run in-state rather than by a national carrier, so participation requests go to the plan's own provider relations or contracting team, listed on its provider website.
Also in Maryland: Medicare, Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) and commercial credentialing.
Questions
Which Maryland Medicaid plan is the largest?
Priority Partners, with 384,354 members in 2024, 23.1% of the 1,665,870 people enrolled in Maryland's Medicaid managed-care plans.
Do I have to join every Maryland Medicaid plan?
No. Each plan is a separate contract. Practices usually start with the two or three largest plans in their county, then add others as patients ask for them. All of them require Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) enrollment first.
Membership from KFF, Medicaid MCO Enrollment by Plan and Parent Firm, 2024. Plans change when the state rebids its contracts; we confirm the current list on every file.