Accessibility is often discussed in the language of minimums. The minimum doorway width. The minimum number of spaces. The minimum device that can be justified. The minimum function an insurer is willing to recognize.

That is why Maryland’s 2026 “So Every Body Can Move Act” is worth putting in the Signs of Sanity column.

The legislation was approved by the governor on May 26, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2027, it requires specified health coverage to provide certain orthotic and prosthetic benefits and clarifies that mandated prosthetic coverage includes prostheses a treating healthcare provider determines are medically necessary for activities of daily living, essential job-related activities, or specified physical activities.

That wording matters because life is bigger than moving from the bed to the bathroom. People work. They parent. They exercise. They climb stairs. They maintain homes. They play sports. They get dragged into yard projects by relatives who swear it will “only take an hour.” Function is not a single indoor walking test.

The law does not mean every person automatically receives every component they request. Medical necessity, plan rules, and implementation still matter. It does move the conversation in a saner direction: coverage should consider the activities a person actually needs to perform, not a cartoon version of basic survival.

One state law is not a nationwide solution. It is still worth noticing when somebody writes policy that treats mobility as part of life instead of an optional upgrade.

Good accessibility policy does not promise everybody the same outcome. It gives clinicians and patients room to define meaningful function in terms that resemble the world outside the exam room.

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