Bill Text: NY A02548 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides for health insurance coverage for family members of children who require psychiatric or psychological services.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - referred to insurance [A02548 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A02548-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2548 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 20, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. LIFTON, JAFFEE, KAVANAGH, O'DONNELL, PEOPLES-STOKES, ROSENTHAL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COLTON, GALEF, GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to providing coverage for family members of children who require psychiatric or psychological services The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is 2 amended by adding a new paragraph 34 to read as follows: 3 (34) (A) Every insurer issuing a policy of accident and health insur- 4 ance for delivery in this state which provides coverage for psychiatric 5 or psychological services or diagnosis or treatment of mental, nervous 6 or emotional disorders or ailments shall make available and provide 7 coverage for family sessions when the insured is under eighteen years of 8 age. In this paragraph, "family sessions" means therapy sessions deter- 9 mined as necessary by a licensed psychological professional in the state 10 involving any family member of an insured. 11 (B) The coverage required by this paragraph shall include treatment as 12 a family member pursuant to such family member's own policy or contract 13 provided such family member (i) does not exceed the allowable number of 14 family visits provided by the applicable policy or contract, and (ii) is 15 otherwise entitled to coverage pursuant to such family member's applica- 16 ble policy or contract. 17 § 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by 18 adding a new paragraph 20 to read as follows: 19 (20) (A) Every group or blanket policy which provides coverage for 20 psychiatric or psychological services or diagnosis or treatment of 21 mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments shall make available 22 and provide coverage for family sessions when the insured is under eigh- 23 teen years of age. In this paragraph, "family sessions" means therapy EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07907-01-7A. 2548 2 1 sessions determined as necessary by a licensed psychological profes- 2 sional in the state involving any family member of an insured. 3 (B) The coverage required by this paragraph shall include treatment as 4 a family member pursuant to such family member's own policy or contract 5 provided such family member (i) does not exceed the allowable number of 6 family visits provided by the applicable policy or contract, and (ii) is 7 otherwise entitled to coverage pursuant to such family member's applica- 8 ble policy or contract. 9 § 3. Subsection (i) of section 4303 of the insurance law, as amended 10 by chapter 230 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as follows: 11 (i) A medical expense indemnity corporation or health service corpo- 12 ration which provides coverage for physicians, psychiatrists or psychol- 13 ogists for psychiatric or psychological services or for the diagnosis 14 and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders and ailments, 15 however defined in such contract, must make available and if requested 16 by all persons holding individual contracts in a group whose premiums 17 are paid by a remitting agent or by the contract holder in the case of a 18 group contract issued pursuant to section four thousand three hundred 19 five of this article[,]: (A) provide the same coverage for such services 20 when performed by a licensed clinical social worker, within the lawful 21 scope of his or her practice, who is licensed pursuant to article one 22 hundred fifty-four of the education law. The state board for social work 23 shall maintain a list of all licensed clinical social workers qualified 24 for reimbursement under this subsection. Such coverage shall be made 25 available at the inception of all new contracts and, with respect to all 26 other contracts, at any anniversary date subject to evidence of insura- 27 bility. Written notice of the availability of such coverage shall be 28 delivered to the group remitting agent or group contract holder prior to 29 inception of such contract and annually thereafter, except that this 30 notice shall not be required where a policy covers two hundred or more 31 employees or where the benefit structure was the subject of collective 32 bargaining affecting persons who are employed in more than one state[.]; 33 and (B) make available and provide coverage for family sessions when the 34 insured is under eighteen years of age. 35 (i) In this subsection, "family sessions" means therapy sessions 36 determined as necessary by a licensed psychological professional in the 37 state involving any family member of an insured. 38 (ii) The coverage required by this subsection shall include treatment 39 as a family member pursuant to such family member's own policy or 40 contract provided such family member (1) does not exceed the allowable 41 number of family visits provided by the applicable policy or contract, 42 and (2) is otherwise entitled to coverage pursuant to such family 43 member's applicable policy or contract. 44 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 45 it shall have become a law, except that any rule or regulation necessary 46 for the timely implementation of this act on its effective date shall be 47 promulgated on or before such date.
