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Who cares
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Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to insurance
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Relates to requiring health insurance coverage for drug and alcohol abuse and dependency treatment services
In Assembly Committee · Insurance · Sponsor Joseph Saladino
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to requiring health insurance coverage for drug and alcohol abuse and dependency treatment services
Purpose
To mandate appropriate health insurance coverage for patients receiving heroin, opioid and alcohol abuse and dependency treatment and therapeutic services, to be determined by and prescribed by qualified health care providers.
Summary of provisions
Section one of this bill amends Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law by adding a new paragraph 33 which expands insurance coverage for individual plans to include necessary drug and alcohol abuse and dependency treatment services as prescribed by qualified health professionals.
Section two of this bill amends Subsection (1) of section 3221 of the insurance law by adding a new paragraph 19 that expands insurance coverage for group or blanket plans to include necessary drug and alcohol abuse and dependency treatment services as prescribed by qualified health professionals.
Section three of this bill amends section 4303 of the insurance law by adding new subsection (qq) which expands coverage under contracts issued by hospitals or health service companies to include necessary drug and alcohol abuse and dependency treatment services as prescribed by qualified health professionals.
Section four of this bill provides the effective date.
Justification
With the increasing understanding of the drug and alcohol abuse epidemic throughout the state, particularly opioid and heroin addiction, there is a dire need for reformation of current approaches to addiction treatment and therapeutic services. 13.8 million addicts are employed either full or part time, the majority of them possessing health insurance coverage. This bill seeks to make significant inroads to actively strengthen therapeutic approaches to address opioid and heroin abuse and addiction, by providing insurance coverage for treatment as prescribed by qualified health professionals. Such services to be covered include alcohol and drug detoxification services, rehabilitation services, inpatient/outpatient or partial hospitalization, and family counseling or intervention services. Currently, there is a significant gap in treatment approaches because many health insurance plans do not cover the required treatments that efficiently address substance addiction. The nature and duration of treatments are being redefined regularly as there is a shift in understanding new approaches to properly administer addiction treatment and therapy. This bill seeks to bridge these gaps by allowing more coverage to fully address the needs of individuals suffering from substance addictions as recommended and/or prescribed by their medical providers who are the experts in managing and resolving such addictions.
Prior legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal impact
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply to policies and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.