Bill Text: NY S02949 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires children attending public schools to provide proof of health insurance coverage; direct commissioners of education, public health and social services to use local facilitated enrollment programs to assist families with children in public school to obtain available health insurance coverage.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S02949 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-S02949-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2949
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                     March 6, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by Sen. THOMPSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
       AN ACT to amend the education law,  the  social  services  law  and  the
         public  health law, in relation to requiring children attending public
         schools to provide proof of health insurance coverage
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The section heading of section 903 of the education law, as
    2  amended  by chapter 281 of the laws of 2007, is amended and a new subdi-
    3  vision 5 is added to read as follows:
    4    Students to furnish health certificates[; and] , dental health certif-
    5  icates AND PROOF OF HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE.
    6    5. PROOF OF HEALTH INSURANCE  COVERAGE  SHALL  BE  FURNISHED  BY  EACH
    7  STUDENT  IN  THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS UPON HIS OR HER ENTRANCE IN SUCH SCHOOLS
    8  AND UPON HIS OR HER ENTRY INTO THE GRADES PRESCRIBED BY THE COMMISSIONER
    9  IN REGULATIONS. WHERE A CHILD IS  UNABLE  TO  PROVIDE  PROOF  OF  HEALTH
   10  INSURANCE  COVERAGE THE SUPERINTENDENT SHALL PROVIDE SUCH CHILD'S PARENT
   11  OR LEGAL GUARDIAN WITH CONTACT INFORMATION  FOR  FACILITATED  ENROLLMENT
   12  PROGRAMS  ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SECTION THREE HUNDRED SIXTY-NINE-EE OF
   13  THE SOCIAL SERVICES LAW,  SECTION  TWENTY-FIVE  HUNDRED  ELEVEN  OF  THE
   14  PUBLIC  HEALTH  LAW AND SECTION FOUR THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVEN
   15  OF THE INSURANCE LAW AND SHALL SEND A NOTICE REGARDING SUCH STUDENT TO A
   16  LOCAL ORGANIZATION CONTRACTED TO PROVIDE FACILITATED ENROLLMENT  ASSIST-
   17  ANCE PURSUANT TO SUCH SECTIONS.
   18    S  2.  Paragraph  (a) of subdivision 4 of section 369-ee of the social
   19  services law, as added by chapter 1 of the laws of 1999, is  amended  to
   20  read as follows:
   21    (a)  The  commissioner  shall  develop  and implement locally-tailored
   22  education, outreach and facilitated enrollment  strategies  targeted  to
   23  individuals  who  may be eligible for benefits under this title or title
   24  eleven of this article. Such strategies shall include, but not be limit-
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD10041-01-9
       S. 2949                             2
    1  ed to, contracting with community-based organizations to perform  educa-
    2  tion,  outreach  and  facilitated enrollment. In awarding the contracts,
    3  the commissioner shall consider the extent to which  the  organizations,
    4  or  coalitions  of organizations, are able to target efforts effectively
    5  in geographic areas in which there is a  high  proportion  of  uninsured
    6  individuals and a low proportion of eligible individuals receiving bene-
    7  fits  under  title eleven of this article. In approving organizations to
    8  undertake activities pursuant to  this  subdivision,  within  a  defined
    9  geographic  region,  the  commissioner shall make a good faith effort to
   10  ensure that the organizations are broadly inclusive of organizations  in
   11  the  region  able  to target effectively individuals who may be eligible
   12  for coverage under this title or  title  eleven  of  this  article.  THE
   13  COMMISSIONER,  AND  ANY  ORGANIZATION  CONTRACTED TO PERFORM FACILITATED
   14  ENROLLMENT UNDER THIS SUBDIVISION, SHALL PROVIDE UPDATED CONTACT  INFOR-
   15  MATION  ON  JULY  FIRST  OF  EACH  YEAR  TO ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT WHICH IS
   16  LOCATED WITHIN THE AREA SERVED BY SUCH ORGANIZATION. WHERE THERE  IS  NO
   17  ORGANIZATION  PROVIDING FACILITATED ENROLLMENT SERVICES COVERING AN AREA
   18  IN WHICH A SCHOOL DISTRICT IS LOCATED  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  PROVIDE
   19  SUCH  SCHOOL  DISTRICT WITH FACILITATED ENROLLMENT SERVICES FOR STUDENTS
   20  WHO ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE PROOF OF HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE PURSUANT TO
   21  SECTION NINE HUNDRED THREE OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
   22    S 3. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 9 of  section  2511  of  the  public
   23  health  law,  as amended by chapter 2 of the laws of 1998, is amended to
   24  read as follows:
   25    (a) The commissioner  shall  develop  and  implement  locally-tailored
   26  public education, outreach and facilitated enrollment strategies target-
   27  ed  to  children  who  may  be eligible for benefits under this title or
   28  title eleven of article  five  of  the  social  services  law,  and  may
   29  contract  with  community  based organizations including but not limited
   30  to, child advocacy organizations, providers, school-based health centers
   31  and local government. In  awarding  contracts,  the  commissioner  shall
   32  consider the extent to which such organizations, or coalitions of organ-
   33  izations,  are  able to target efforts effectively in geographic regions
   34  of the state where the proportion of children enrolled under this  title
   35  and  title  eleven  of  article five of the social services law is lower
   36  than other geographic regions of the state.  In  approving  entities  to
   37  undertake  activities  pursuant  to  this  subdivision, within a defined
   38  geographic region, the commissioner shall make a good  faith  effort  to
   39  assure  that  a  coalition is broadly inclusive of organizations able to
   40  target effectively children who may be eligible  under  this  title  and
   41  title  eleven  of  article five of the social services law.  THE COMMIS-
   42  SIONER, AND ANY ORGANIZATION CONTRACTED TO PERFORM  FACILITATED  ENROLL-
   43  MENT  UNDER  THIS SUBDIVISION, SHALL PROVIDE UPDATED CONTACT INFORMATION
   44  ON JULY FIRST OF EACH YEAR TO ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT WHICH IS LOCATED WITH-
   45  IN THE AREA SERVED BY SUCH ORGANIZATION. WHERE THERE IS NO  ORGANIZATION
   46  PROVIDING  FACILITATED  ENROLLMENT  SERVICES COVERING AN AREA IN WHICH A
   47  SCHOOL DISTRICT IS LOCATED THE COMMISSIONER SHALL  PROVIDE  SUCH  SCHOOL
   48  DISTRICT  WITH  FACILITATED  ENROLLMENT  SERVICES  FOR  STUDENTS WHO ARE
   49  UNABLE TO PROVIDE PROOF OF HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE PURSUANT TO SECTION
   50  NINE HUNDRED THREE OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
   51    S 4. Subdivision 9 of section  2511  of  the  public  health  law,  as
   52  amended  by  chapter  639  of  the  laws  of 1996, is amended to read as
   53  follows:
   54    9. The commissioner shall, within amounts available therefor, contract
   55  with community-based and other marketing organizations for  purposes  of
   56  public  education,  outreach,  and  recruitment  of  eligible  children,
       S. 2949                             3
    1  including the distribution of  applications  and  information  regarding
    2  enrollment.  In awarding such contracts, the commissioner shall consider
    3  the marketing, outreach and recruitment efforts  of  approved  organiza-
    4  tions,  and  the  extent  to which such organizations are able to effec-
    5  tively target efforts in geographic  regions  where  the  proportion  of
    6  eligible  children  enrolled  under  this  title are lower than in other
    7  geographic regions of the  state.  Community-based  organizations  shall
    8  include,  but  not  be limited to: day care centers, schools, community-
    9  based diagnostic and treatment centers, and hospitals.  THE  COMMISSION-
   10  ER,  AND  ANY  ORGANIZATION CONTRACTED TO PERFORM FACILITATED ENROLLMENT
   11  UNDER THIS SUBDIVISION, SHALL PROVIDE  UPDATED  CONTACT  INFORMATION  ON
   12  JULY  FIRST  OF EACH YEAR TO ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT WHICH IS LOCATED WITHIN
   13  THE AREA SERVED BY SUCH ORGANIZATION. WHERE  THERE  IS  NO  ORGANIZATION
   14  PROVIDING  FACILITATED  ENROLLMENT  SERVICES COVERING AN AREA IN WHICH A
   15  SCHOOL DISTRICT IS LOCATED THE COMMISSIONER SHALL  PROVIDE  SUCH  SCHOOL
   16  DISTRICT  WITH  FACILITATED  ENROLLMENT  SERVICES  FOR  STUDENTS WHO ARE
   17  UNABLE TO PROVIDE PROOF OF HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE PURSUANT TO SECTION
   18  NINE HUNDRED THREE OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
   19    S 5. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
   20  the  date  on  which it shall have become a law; provided, however, that
   21  the amendments to subdivision 9 of section 2511  of  the  public  health
   22  law,  made  by section three of this act shall be subject to the expira-
   23  tion and reversion of such subdivision pursuant to chapter 2 of the laws
   24  of 1998, when upon such date the provisions of section four of this  act
   25  shall take effect.
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