Bill Text: NY A11146 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to requiring that private health insurance policies provide coverage for incontinence supplies and sets a cap on allowances under such policies.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-11-06 - referred to insurance [A11146 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A11146-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          11146

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    November 6, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Hunter) --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance

        AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to requiring that private
          health insurance policies provide coverage for incontinence supplies

          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 36 to read as follows:
     3    (36)(A) Every policy which provides medical, major medical, or similar
     4  comprehensive type coverage  shall  provide  coverage  for  incontinence
     5  supplies.  Such  program  shall provide incontinence supplies to persons
     6  that meet the program eligibility requirements established  in  subpara-
     7  graph  (B)  of this paragraph. For purposes of this paragraph, "inconti-
     8  nence supplies" shall mean products designed to help manage  urinary  or
     9  bowel  output.  Such  products  shall  be  intended to protect clothing,
    10  bedding, and furniture and shall consist of  items  including,  but  not
    11  limited  to,  protective  underwear,  cloths, wipes, bedding protection,
    12  cleaners, creams, lotions, bedpans, and urinals.
    13    (B) To qualify for coverage under this paragraph, a person shall:
    14    (i) be a resident of the state of New York; and
    15    (ii) obtain a note from a physician indicating a need for an  item  in
    16  accordance with subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.
    17    (C)  Coverage  provided under this paragraph shall be subject to a cap
    18  on allowances granted of eighty dollars, every three months, per  eligi-
    19  ble person.
    20    § 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by
    21  adding a new paragraph 21 to read as follows:
    22    (21)(A)  Every  group  or blanket policy which provides medical, major
    23  medical, or similar comprehensive type coverage shall  provide  coverage
    24  for  incontinence  supplies.  Such  program  shall  provide incontinence
    25  supplies to persons  that  meet  the  program  eligibility  requirements
    26  established  in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph. For purposes of this
    27  paragraph, "incontinence supplies" shall mean products designed to  help
    28  manage  urinary  or  bowel  output.  Such  products shall be intended to

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00854-03-0
        A. 11146                            2

     1  protect clothing, bedding, and furniture  and  shall  consist  of  items
     2  including,  but  not  limited  to,  protective underwear, cloths, wipes,
     3  bedding protection, cleaners, creams, lotions, bedpans, and urinals.
     4    (B) To qualify for coverage under this paragraph, a person shall:
     5    (i) be a resident of the state of New York; and
     6    (ii)  obtain  a note from a physician indicating a need for an item in
     7  accordance with subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.
     8    (C) Coverage provided under this paragraph shall be subject to  a  cap
     9  on  allowances granted of eighty dollars, every three months, per eligi-
    10  ble person.
    11    § 3. Section 4303 of the insurance law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    12  subsection (ss) to read as follows:
    13    (ss)(1)  Every contract issued by a hospital service company or health
    14  service corporation which provides major medical or  similar  comprehen-
    15  sive-type  coverage  shall  include  coverage for incontinence supplies.
    16  Such program shall provide incontinence supplies to  persons  that  meet
    17  the  program  eligibility  requirements  established in paragraph two of
    18  this subsection. For purposes of this section,  "incontinence  supplies"
    19  shall  mean  products  designed  to help manage urinary or bowel output.
    20  Such products shall be intended to protect clothing, bedding, and furni-
    21  ture and shall consist of items including, but not limited  to,  protec-
    22  tive  underwear,  cloths,  wipes,  bedding protection, cleaners, creams,
    23  lotions, bedpans, and urinals.
    24    (2) To qualify for coverage under this subsection, a person shall:
    25    (i) be a resident of the state of New York; and
    26    (ii) obtain a note from a physician indicating a need for an  item  in
    27  accordance with paragraph one of this subsection.
    28    (3)  Coverage provided under this subsection shall be subject to a cap
    29  on allowances granted of eighty dollars, every three months, per  eligi-
    30  ble person.
    31    §  4.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    32  have become a law and shall apply  to  policies  and  contracts  issued,
    33  renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such effective date.