Bill Text: NY A03718 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Provides that every insurance policy which provides coverage for prescription drugs shall ensure that there is continuous coverage of a single source drug that is part of a prescribed therapy until such prescribed therapy is no longer medically necessary for the enrollee of such policy.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-09-04 - enacting clause stricken [A03718 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-A03718-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         3718
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 26, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M. of A. P. RIVERA, COLTON, CLARK, COOK, PEOPLES-STOKES,
         MILLMAN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.  BRENNAN,  CUSICK,  FARRELL,
         GLICK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance
       AN  ACT  to  amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage for single
         source drugs
         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 28 to read as follows:
    3    (28) EVERY INDIVIDUAL POLICY WHICH PROVIDES COVERAGE FOR  PRESCRIPTION
    4  DRUGS  SHALL ENSURE THAT THERE IS CONTINUOUS COVERAGE OF A SINGLE SOURCE
    5  DRUG THAT IS PART OF A PRESCRIBED THERAPY UNTIL SUCH PRESCRIBED  THERAPY
    6  IS NO LONGER MEDICALLY NECESSARY FOR ANY COVERED PERSON UNDER SUCH POLI-
    7  CY.    FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS  PARAGRAPH,  "DRUG"  SHALL  MEAN ANY
    8  PRESCRIPTION DRUG THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED AS SAFE AND  EFFECTIVE  BY  THE
    9  FEDERAL  FOOD  AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, OR IS OTHERWISE LEGALLY MARKETED
   10  IN THE UNITED STATES INCLUDING ANY MECHANICAL DEVICE THAT IS  NEEDED  TO
   11  APPLY SUCH PRESCRIPTION DRUG SUCH AS INSULIN, SYRINGES AND NEEDLES.
   12    S 2. Subsection (k) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by
   13  adding a new paragraph 17 to read as follows:
   14    (17) EVERY GROUP POLICY WHICH PROVIDES COVERAGE FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
   15  SHALL  ENSURE  THAT THERE IS CONTINUOUS COVERAGE OF A SINGLE SOURCE DRUG
   16  THAT IS PART OF A PRESCRIBED THERAPY UNTIL SUCH PRESCRIBED THERAPY IS NO
   17  LONGER MEDICALLY NECESSARY FOR ANY COVERED  PERSON  UNDER  SUCH  POLICY.
   18  FOR  THE  PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH, "DRUG" SHALL MEAN ANY PRESCRIPTION
   19  DRUG THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED AS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE BY  THE  FEDERAL  FOOD
   20  AND  DRUG ADMINISTRATION, OR IS OTHERWISE LEGALLY MARKETED IN THE UNITED
   21  STATES INCLUDING ANY MECHANICAL DEVICE THAT  IS  NEEDED  TO  APPLY  SUCH
   22  PRESCRIPTION DRUG SUCH AS INSULIN, SYRINGES AND NEEDLES.
   23    S  3.  Section  4303  of  the insurance law is amended by adding a new
   24  subsection (hh) to read as follows:
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD00411-01-1
       A. 3718                             2
    1    (HH) EVERY CONTRACT ISSUED  BY  A  HEALTH  SERVICE  CORPORATION  OR  A
    2  MEDICAL  EXPENSE  INDEMNITY  CORPORATION  WHICH  PROVIDES  COVERAGE  FOR
    3  PRESCRIPTION DRUGS SHALL ENSURE THAT THERE IS CONTINUOUS COVERAGE  OF  A
    4  SINGLE  SOURCE  DRUG  THAT  IS  PART  OF A PRESCRIBED THERAPY UNTIL SUCH
    5  PRESCRIBED  THERAPY  IS  NO  LONGER  MEDICALLY NECESSARY FOR ANY COVERED
    6  PERSON UNDER SUCH POLICY.  FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS  SUBSECTION,  "DRUG"
    7  SHALL  MEAN  ANY  PRESCRIPTION  DRUG  THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED AS SAFE AND
    8  EFFECTIVE BY THE FEDERAL FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, OR  IS  OTHERWISE
    9  LEGALLY  MARKETED  IN  THE UNITED STATES INCLUDING ANY MECHANICAL DEVICE
   10  THAT IS NEEDED TO APPLY SUCH PRESCRIPTION DRUG SUCH AS INSULIN, SYRINGES
   11  AND NEEDLES.
   12    S 4. This act shall take effect on the first  of  the  calendar  month
   13  next  succeeding  the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law, and
   14  shall apply only to policies and contracts issued, renewed or amended on
   15  or after the effective date of this act.
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