Bill Text: NY S03510 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Prohibits health insurers from requiring that the insured purchase prescribed drugs from a mail order pharmacy or pay a co-payment fee when such purchases are not made from a mail order pharmacy if a similar fee is not charged for drugs from a mail order pharmacy.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-06-20 - SUBSTITUTED BY A5502B [S03510 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-S03510-Amended.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        3510--B
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   February 24, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sens.  MAZIARZ, BRESLIN, ADDABBO, AVELLA, BALL, BONACIC,
         DUANE, GALLIVAN, GOLDEN,  GRIFFO,  HANNON,  HUNTLEY,  JOHNSON,  KLEIN,
         KRUEGER,  KRUGER, LANZA, LARKIN, LAVALLE, LIBOUS, MARCELLINO, MARTINS,
         MONTGOMERY,  OPPENHEIMER,  PERALTA,  PERKINS,  RANZENHOFER,  STAVISKY,
         ZELDIN  --  read  twice  and  ordered  printed, and when printed to be
         committed to the Committee on Insurance -- committee discharged,  bill
         amended,  ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
         tee --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as
         amended and recommitted to said committee
       AN  ACT  to  amend  the  insurance  law,  in relation to the purchase of
         prescription 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) ANY POLICY WHICH PROVIDES COVERAGE FOR PRESCRIPTION  DRUGS  SHALL
    4  PERMIT  EACH PARTICIPANT TO FILL ANY MAIL ORDER COVERED PRESCRIPTION, AT
    5  HIS OR HER OPTION, AT ANY MAIL ORDER PHARMACY OR  NETWORK  PARTICIPATING
    6  NON-MAIL  ORDER  RETAIL  PHARMACY  IF THE NETWORK PARTICIPATING NON-MAIL
    7  ORDER RETAIL PHARMACY OFFERS TO ACCEPT A PRICE  THAT  IS  COMPARABLE  TO
    8  THAT  OF THE MAIL ORDER PHARMACY. ANY POLICY WHICH PROVIDES COVERAGE FOR
    9  PRESCRIPTION DRUGS SHALL NOT IMPOSE A CO-PAYMENT FEE OR OTHER  CONDITION
   10  ON ANY INSURED WHO ELECTS TO PURCHASE DRUGS FROM A NETWORK PARTICIPATING
   11  NON-MAIL  ORDER  RETAIL  PHARMACY  WHICH IS NOT ALSO IMPOSED ON INSUREDS
   12  ELECTING TO PURCHASE  DRUGS  FROM  A  DESIGNATED  MAIL  ORDER  PHARMACY;
   13  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER, THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL NOT SUPER-
   14  SEDE THE TERMS OF A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT OR APPLY TO A POLICY
   15  THAT IS THE RESULT OF  A  COLLECTIVE  BARGAINING  AGREEMENT  BETWEEN  AN
   16  EMPLOYER AND A RECOGNIZED OR CERTIFIED EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION.
   17    S 2. Subsection (1) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by
   18  adding a new paragraph 18 to read as follows:
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD09145-07-1
       S. 3510--B                          2
    1    (18)  ANY  INSURER  DELIVERING  A GROUP OR BLANKET POLICY OR ISSUING A
    2  GROUP OR BLANKET POLICY FOR DELIVERY IN THIS STATE WHICH PROVIDES COVER-
    3  AGE FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS SHALL PERMIT EACH  PARTICIPANT  TO  FILL  ANY
    4  MAIL ORDER COVERED PRESCRIPTION, AT HIS OR HER OPTION, AT ANY MAIL ORDER
    5  PHARMACY  OR NETWORK PARTICIPATING NON-MAIL ORDER RETAIL PHARMACY IF THE
    6  NETWORK PARTICIPATING NON-MAIL ORDER RETAIL PHARMACY OFFERS TO ACCEPT  A
    7  PRICE  THAT IS COMPARABLE TO THAT OF THE MAIL ORDER PHARMACY. ANY POLICY
    8  WHICH PROVIDES COVERAGE  FOR  PRESCRIPTION  DRUGS  SHALL  NOT  IMPOSE  A
    9  CO-PAYMENT  FEE OR OTHER CONDITION ON ANY INSURED WHO ELECTS TO PURCHASE
   10  DRUGS FROM A NETWORK PARTICIPATING NON-MAIL ORDER RETAIL PHARMACY  WHICH
   11  IS NOT ALSO IMPOSED ON INSUREDS ELECTING TO PURCHASE DRUGS FROM A DESIG-
   12  NATED  MAIL  ORDER  PHARMACY;  PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE PROVISIONS OF
   13  THIS SECTION SHALL NOT SUPERSEDE THE TERMS OF  A  COLLECTIVE  BARGAINING
   14  AGREEMENT  OR  APPLY  TO  A  POLICY  THAT  IS THE RESULT OF A COLLECTIVE
   15  BARGAINING AGREEMENT BETWEEN AN EMPLOYER AND A RECOGNIZED  OR  CERTIFIED
   16  EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION.
   17    S  3.  Section  4303  of  the insurance law is amended by adding a new
   18  subsection (hh) to read as follows:
   19    (HH) ANY POLICY ISSUED BY A MEDICAL EXPENSE INDEMNITY  CORPORATION,  A
   20  HOSPITAL  SERVICE  CORPORATION  OR  A  HEALTH SERVICES CORPORATION WHICH
   21  PROVIDES COVERAGE FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS SHALL PERMIT  EACH  PARTICIPANT
   22  TO  FILL  ANY  MAIL ORDER COVERED PRESCRIPTION, AT HIS OR HER OPTION, AT
   23  ANY MAIL ORDER PHARMACY OR NETWORK PARTICIPATING NON-MAIL  ORDER  RETAIL
   24  PHARMACY  IF  THE  NETWORK  PARTICIPATING NON-MAIL ORDER RETAIL PHARMACY
   25  OFFERS TO ACCEPT A PRICE THAT IS COMPARABLE TO THAT OF  THE  MAIL  ORDER
   26  PHARMACY.  ANY  POLICY  WHICH  PROVIDES  COVERAGE FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
   27  SHALL NOT IMPOSE A COPAYMENT FEE OR OTHER CONDITION ON ANY  INSURED  WHO
   28  ELECTS  TO  PURCHASE  DRUGS  FROM A NETWORK PARTICIPATING NON-MAIL ORDER
   29  RETAIL PHARMACY WHICH IS  NOT  ALSO  IMPOSED  ON  INSUREDS  ELECTING  TO
   30  PURCHASE DRUGS FROM A DESIGNATED MAIL ORDER PHARMACY; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
   31  THAT  THE  PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL NOT SUPERSEDE THE TERMS OF A
   32  COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT OR APPLY TO A POLICY THAT IS THE  RESULT
   33  OF  A  COLLECTIVE  BARGAINING AGREEMENT BETWEEN AN EMPLOYER AND A RECOG-
   34  NIZED OR CERTIFIED EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION.
   35    S 4.  If any clause, subparagraph, subsection, section or  other  part
   36  of  this  act,  or the   application thereof be held to be invalid, such
   37  holding shall not affect, impair or invalidate  the  remainder  of  this
   38  act, or the application of such section or part of a section held inval-
   39  id.
   40    S  5.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
   41  have become a law and shall apply to all policies and contracts  issued,
   42  renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such effective date.
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