Bill Text: NY S07288 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Provides that for a substance use disorder outpatient treatment episode of care by a provider licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the office of addiction services and supports, an insured shall only be responsible for a cost sharing fee not to exceed five hundred dollars.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-30 - PRINT NUMBER 7288A [S07288 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S07288-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         7288--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 19, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens. FERNANDEZ, KENNEDY, RYAN -- read twice and ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Insur-
          ance  --  recommitted to the Committee on Insurance in accordance with
          Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill  amended,  ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to amend the insurance law, in relation to certain cost sharing
          fees for outpatient treatment at a substance use treatment program

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Subparagraph  (E)  of  paragraph  31 of subsection (i) of
     2  section 3216 of the insurance law, as amended by section 6 of subpart  A
     3  of  part  BB  of  chapter  57  of the laws of 2019, is amended and a new
     4  subparagraph (J) is added to read as follows:
     5    (E) This subparagraph shall apply to facilities in this state that are
     6  licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the office of [alcoholism
     7  and substance abuse] addiction services and supports for  the  provision
     8  of  outpatient,  intensive  outpatient,  outpatient  rehabilitation  and
     9  opioid treatment  that  are  participating  in  the  insurer's  provider
    10  network.  Coverage provided under this paragraph shall not be subject to
    11  preauthorization. Coverage provided under this paragraph  shall  not  be
    12  subject  to  concurrent  review  for  the first four weeks of continuous
    13  treatment, not to exceed  twenty-eight  visits,  provided  the  facility
    14  notifies  the  insurer  of  both  the start of treatment and the initial
    15  treatment plan within two business  days.  The  facility  shall  perform
    16  clinical  assessment  of  the  patient at each visit, including periodic
    17  consultation with the insurer at or just prior to the fourteenth day  of
    18  treatment  to  ensure  that the facility is using the evidence-based and
    19  peer reviewed clinical review tool utilized  by  the  insurer  which  is
    20  designated  by  the office of [alcoholism and substance abuse] addiction
    21  services and supports and appropriate to the  age  of  the  patient,  to
    22  ensure  that  the  outpatient  treatment  is medically necessary for the

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11569-03-4

        S. 7288--A                          2

     1  patient. Any utilization review of the  treatment  provided  under  this
     2  subparagraph  may  include a review of all services provided during such
     3  outpatient treatment, including all services provided during  the  first
     4  four  weeks  of continuous treatment, not to exceed twenty-eight visits,
     5  of such outpatient treatment. Provided, however, the insurer shall  only
     6  deny  coverage  for  any portion of the initial four weeks of continuous
     7  treatment, not to exceed twenty-eight visits, for  outpatient  treatment
     8  on  the  basis  that  such treatment was not medically necessary if such
     9  outpatient  treatment  was  contrary  to  the  evidence-based  and  peer
    10  reviewed  clinical  review  tool utilized by the insurer which is desig-
    11  nated by the  office  of  [alcoholism  and  substance  abuse]  addiction
    12  services and supports. An insured shall only have financial responsibil-
    13  ities  as  set  out  in subparagraph (J) of this paragraph and shall not
    14  have any financial obligation to the facility for  any  treatment  under
    15  this  subparagraph  other than any [copayment,] coinsurance[, or deduct-
    16  ible] otherwise required under the policy.
    17    (J) For a substance use disorder outpatient treatment episode of  care
    18  by  a provider licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the office
    19  of addiction services and supports, an insured shall only be responsible
    20  for a cost sharing fee not to exceed five hundred  dollars.  An  insurer
    21  providing  coverage  under  this  paragraph shall be responsible for all
    22  other financial obligations to the  facility.  An  episode  of  care  is
    23  defined to include up to sixty visits with the same treatment provider.
    24    §  2.  Subparagraphs (C-1) and (E) of paragraph 7 of subsection (l) of
    25  section 3221 of the  insurance  law,  subparagraph  (C-1)  as  added  by
    26  section 16 and subparagraph (E) as amended by section 17 of subpart A of
    27  part BB of chapter 57 of the laws of 2019, are amended and a new subpar-
    28  agraph (J) is added to read as follows:
    29    (C-1) A large group policy that provides coverage under this paragraph
    30  shall  not  impose  [copayments or] coinsurance for outpatient substance
    31  use disorder  services  that  exceeds  the  [copayment  or]  coinsurance
    32  imposed  for a primary care office visit. [Provided that no greater than
    33  one such copayment may be imposed for all services provided in a  single
    34  day  by  a  facility  licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the
    35  office of alcoholism and substance abuse services to provide  outpatient
    36  substance  use  disorder  services]  A  large group policy that provides
    37  coverage under this paragraph shall not impose copayments for outpatient
    38  substance use disorder services.
    39    (E) This subparagraph shall apply to facilities in this state that are
    40  licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the office of [alcoholism
    41  and substance abuse] addiction services and supports for  the  provision
    42  of  outpatient,  intensive  outpatient,  outpatient  rehabilitation  and
    43  opioid treatment  that  are  participating  in  the  insurer's  provider
    44  network.  Coverage provided under this paragraph shall not be subject to
    45  preauthorization. Coverage provided under this paragraph  shall  not  be
    46  subject  to  concurrent  review  for  the first four weeks of continuous
    47  treatment, not to exceed  twenty-eight  visits,  provided  the  facility
    48  notifies  the  insurer  of  both  the start of treatment and the initial
    49  treatment plan within two business  days.  The  facility  shall  perform
    50  clinical  assessment  of  the  patient at each visit, including periodic
    51  consultation with the insurer at or just prior to the fourteenth day  of
    52  treatment  to  ensure  that the facility is using the evidence-based and
    53  peer reviewed clinical review tool utilized  by  the  insurer  which  is
    54  designated  by  the office of [alcoholism and substance abuse] addiction
    55  services and supports and appropriate to the  age  of  the  patient,  to
    56  ensure  that  the  outpatient  treatment  is medically necessary for the

        S. 7288--A                          3

     1  patient. Any utilization review of the  treatment  provided  under  this
     2  subparagraph  may  include a review of all services provided during such
     3  outpatient treatment, including all services provided during  the  first
     4  four  weeks  of continuous treatment, not to exceed twenty-eight visits,
     5  of such outpatient treatment. Provided, however, the insurer shall  only
     6  deny  coverage  for  any portion of the initial four weeks of continuous
     7  treatment, not to exceed twenty-eight visits, for  outpatient  treatment
     8  on  the  basis  that  such treatment was not medically necessary if such
     9  outpatient  treatment  was  contrary  to  the  evidence-based  and  peer
    10  reviewed  clinical  review  tool utilized by the insurer which is desig-
    11  nated by the  office  of  [alcoholism  and  substance  abuse]  addiction
    12  services and supports. An insured shall only have financial responsibil-
    13  ities  as  set  out  in subparagraph (J) of this paragraph and shall not
    14  have any financial obligation to the facility for  any  treatment  under
    15  this  subparagraph  other than any [copayment,] coinsurance[, or deduct-
    16  ible] otherwise required under the policy.
    17    (J) For a substance use disorder outpatient treatment episode of  care
    18  by  a provider licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the office
    19  of addiction services and supports, an insured shall only be responsible
    20  for a cost sharing fee not to exceed five hundred  dollars.  An  insurer
    21  providing  coverage  under  this  paragraph shall be responsible for all
    22  other financial obligations to the  facility.  An  episode  of  care  is
    23  defined to include up to sixty visits with the same treatment provider.
    24    §  3.  Paragraphs  3-a  and 5 of subsection (l) of section 4303 of the
    25  insurance law, paragraph 3-a as added by section 27 and paragraph  5  as
    26  amended  by section 28 of subpart A of part BB of chapter 57 of the laws
    27  of 2019, are amended and a new paragraph 10 is added to read as follows:
    28    (3-a) A  contract  that  provides  large  group  coverage  under  this
    29  subsection  shall  not impose [copayments or] coinsurance for outpatient
    30  substance use disorder services that exceed the [copayment  or]  coinsu-
    31  rance imposed for a primary care office visit. [Provided that no greater
    32  than  one  such  copayment may be imposed for all services provided in a
    33  single day by a facility licensed, certified or otherwise authorized  by
    34  the  office of alcoholism and substance abuse services to provide outpa-
    35  tient substance  use  disorder  services]  A  large  group  policy  that
    36  provides  coverage  under this paragraph shall not impose copayments for
    37  outpatient substance use disorder services.
    38    (5) This paragraph shall apply to facilities in this  state  that  are
    39  licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the office of [alcoholism
    40  and  substance  abuse] addiction services and supports for the provision
    41  of  outpatient,  intensive  outpatient,  outpatient  rehabilitation  and
    42  opioid  treatment  that  are participating in the corporation's provider
    43  network. Coverage provided under this subsection shall not be subject to
    44  preauthorization. Coverage provided under this subsection shall  not  be
    45  subject  to  concurrent  review  for  the first four weeks of continuous
    46  treatment, not to exceed  twenty-eight  visits,  provided  the  facility
    47  notifies  the corporation of both the start of treatment and the initial
    48  treatment plan within two business  days.  The  facility  shall  perform
    49  clinical  assessment  of  the  patient at each visit, including periodic
    50  consultation with the corporation at or just prior to the fourteenth day
    51  of treatment to ensure that the facility is using the evidence-based and
    52  peer reviewed clinical review tool utilized by the corporation which  is
    53  designated  by  the office of [alcoholism and substance abuse] addiction
    54  services and supports and appropriate to the  age  of  the  patient,  to
    55  ensure  that  the  outpatient  treatment  is medically necessary for the
    56  patient. Any utilization review of the  treatment  provided  under  this

        S. 7288--A                          4

     1  paragraph  may  include  a  review  of all services provided during such
     2  outpatient treatment, including all services provided during  the  first
     3  four  weeks  of continuous treatment, not to exceed twenty-eight visits,
     4  of  such outpatient treatment.  Provided, however, the corporation shall
     5  only deny coverage for any portion of the initial four weeks of  contin-
     6  uous treatment, not to exceed twenty-eight visits, for outpatient treat-
     7  ment  on  the  basis  that such treatment was not medically necessary if
     8  such outpatient treatment was contrary to the  evidence-based  and  peer
     9  reviewed  clinical  review  tool  utilized  by  the corporation which is
    10  designated by the office of [alcoholism and substance  abuse]  addiction
    11  services  and supports. A subscriber shall only have financial responsi-
    12  bilities as set out in paragraph ten of this subsection  and  shall  not
    13  have  any  financial  obligation to the facility for any treatment under
    14  this paragraph other than any [copayment,] coinsurance[, or  deductible]
    15  otherwise required under the contract.
    16    (10) For a substance use disorder outpatient treatment episode of care
    17  by  a provider licensed, certified or otherwise authorized by the office
    18  of addiction services and supports, an insured shall only be responsible
    19  for a cost sharing fee not to exceed five hundred  dollars.  An  insurer
    20  providing  coverage  under  this  paragraph shall be responsible for all
    21  other financial obligations to the  facility.  An  episode  of  care  is
    22  defined to include up to sixty visits with the same treatment provider.
    23    §  4. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
    24  ing the date on which it shall have become a  law  and  shall  apply  to
    25  policies  and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on
    26  and after such date.
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