Thomas M Middleton

The long and bitter battle over the direction of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield ended last night when the Maryland General Assembly unanimously approved legislation that locks the insurer's nonprofit mission into law. The Senate vote was 46-0. The...

The exhale of freshly opened soda cans and the crinkle of potato chip bags will continue to drift along the hallways of Maryland's public schools after legislation aimed at tightening access to high-fat snacks and sugary sodas died yesterday in the...

With a new legislative session under way - and the state looking at its biggest budget deficit in years - lawmakers must slash spending, boost revenue by adding carefully controlled slot machines and avoid new across-the-board taxes on businesses,...

Despite intense search efforts yesterday, three passengers from the capsized Seaport Taxi remained missing in the frigid waters off Fort McHenry as some survivors recounted more tales of horror and heroism from Saturday's harbor tragedy. In addition to...

State Senate and House negotiators made a breakthrough on Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s so-called "flush tax" yesterday, agreeing to impose a fee on septic system owners in addition to the surcharge on sewer bills the governor proposed. Del. Maggie L....

Maryland's long-neglected mental health system for the poor and uninsured could rebound quickly because of a cash infusion proposed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., but it still faces staffing shortages and other problems, experts said yesterday. At a...

Top Democratic lawmakers blasted Maryland's insurance regulator yesterday for allowing HMOs to pass a 2 percent tax increase on to consumers without a close examination of industry finances, and a leading delegate called for a boycott of higher...

The firings of senior Maryland Public Service Commission professionals could cripple the agency at a time when it faces critical decisions about consumer electricity rate increases, some PSC commissioners, consumer advocates and legislators said...

With a two-day special session of the General Assembly ending in acrimony, the prospects of amicable relations between Maryland's first Republican governor in more than 30 years and a Democrat-controlled legislature are at an all-time low. Ehrlich...

Governor talks veto; lawmakers talk override Less than 12 hours after the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to keep malpractice insurance costs for doctors in check, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said yesterday that he is preparing his veto...

Maryland lawmakers, who are used to seeing fights over the rules on who can offer lucrative health services such as open-heart surgery, this year are witnessing one over a service that loses money - hospice care for the terminally ill. Maryland Community...

The Maryland Senate gave preliminary approval to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s slot machines bill yesterday -- but not before weakening Baltimore's ability to insist the state pay for road improvements around Pimlico Race Course. Mayor Martin O'Malley...