What's happening
This bill requires health insurance policies in New York to cover scalp cooling treatments that help prevent hair loss during cancer chemotherapy.
Why it matters
Reduces financial barriers. By mandating insurance coverage, the bill ensures that cancer patients can access scalp cooling treatments—which can otherwise be costly—without having to pay out-of-pocket beyond standard co-pays or deductibles.
Addresses emotional and psychological well-being. Hair loss from chemotherapy is often traumatic and can impact a patient's self-esteem, mental health, and willingness to undergo treatment; coverage for scalp cooling supports patient dignity and quality of life.
Standardizes access across insurance plans. Because the bill applies to all major medical insurance policies (including those covering prescription drugs and chemotherapy), it helps ensure equitable access to this supportive care regardless of the patient’s insurer.
Aligns cost-sharing with existing cancer drug coverage. The bill requires that any co-pays or deductibles for scalp cooling cannot be less favorable than those for intravenous or injected anti-cancer medications, preventing insurers from creating prohibitive costs for this specific supportive treatment.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Cover Scalp Cooling for Chemo
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to insurance
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10990
IN ASSEMBLY
May 29, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to providing health insurance coverage for scalp cooling for the preservation of hair during cancer chemotherapy treatment
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new paragraph 12-b to read as follows:
(12-b) (A) Every policy delivered or issued for delivery in this state that provides medical, major medical, or similar comprehensive-type coverage and provides coverage for prescription drugs and also provides coverage for cancer chemotherapy treatment shall provide coverage for scalp cooling. Such coverage may be subject to co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles, provided that the co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles are at least as favorable to an insured as the co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles that apply to coverage for intravenous or injected anticancer medications.
(B) For the purposes of this paragraph, "scalp cooling" means any cooling cap, hypothermia cap, cold cap or any other device used as a therapeutic device to cool the human scalp to prevent or reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.
§ 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new paragraph 12-b to read as follows:
(12-b) (A) Every policy delivered or issued for delivery in this state that provides medical, major medical, or similar comprehensive-type coverage and provides coverage for prescription drugs and also provides coverage for cancer chemotherapy treatment shall provide coverage for scalp cooling. Such coverage may be subject to co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles, provided that the co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles are at least as favorable to an insured as the co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles that apply to coverage for intravenous or injected anticancer medications.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16035-01-8
A. 10990 2
(B) For the purposes of this paragraph, "scalp cooling" means any cooling cap, hypothermia cap, cold cap or any other device used as a therapeutic device to cool the human scalp to prevent or reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.
§ 3. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new subsection (q-2) to read as follows:
(q-2) (1) Every policy delivered or issued for delivery in this state that provides medical, major medical, or similar comprehensive-type coverage and provides coverage for prescription drugs and also provides coverage for cancer chemotherapy treatment shall provide coverage for scalp cooling. Such coverage may be subject to co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles, provided that the co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles are at least as favorable to an insured as the co-pays, coinsurance or deductibles that apply to coverage for intravenous or injected anticancer medications.
(2) For the purposes of this subsection, "scalp cooling" means any cooling cap, hypothermia cap, cold cap or any other device used as a therapeutic device to cool the human scalp to prevent or reduce hair loss during chemotherapy.
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.