What's happening
This bill requires insurance and workers' compensation to cover health care services delivered via telehealth in New York.
Why it matters
Expands access to care. By requiring insurance and workers' compensation to cover telehealth, more New Yorkers—including those in rural or underserved areas—can access medical services without traveling, reducing barriers for people with mobility issues or limited local providers.
Modernizes healthcare delivery. The bill recognizes telehealth as a legitimate mode of delivering medical, dental, psychiatric, and other health services, helping to integrate new technology and practices into the state’s official healthcare system.
Potentially reduces costs and wait times. Broader telehealth coverage can lower out-of-pocket costs for patients and streamline care, which may lead to faster treatment and less crowded clinics and emergency rooms.
Supports workforce participation and recovery. For workers with injuries or disabilities, telehealth coverage under workers' compensation could make it easier to maintain continuity of care during recovery, potentially speeding up return-to-work timelines.
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Who cares
People injured in motor vehicle accidents
The bill would include necessary health care expenses for services delivered by telehealth in basic economic loss under no-fault coverage, subject to existing limits.
Injured employees
The bill would expressly include telehealth services among the treatment expenses employers must pay for work-related injuries.
Employers
The bill would make them liable for telehealth treatment expenses for injured employees for as long as the injury or recovery requires.
Health care providers offering telehealth
The bill would expressly recognize their services in motor vehicle no-fault and workers’ compensation coverage.
Headline styles
Cover Telehealth in Compensation
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to insurance
- 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.
Cover Telehealth in Auto, Work
In Senate Committee · Insurance · Sponsor Catharine Young
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1419
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 12, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. JENNE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law and the workers' compensation law, in relation to coverage of health care services by means of telehealth
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph 1 of subsection (a) of section 5102 of the insurance law, as amended by chapter 298 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
(1) All necessary expenses incurred for: (i) medical, hospital (including services rendered in compliance with article forty-one of the public health law, whether or not such services are rendered directly by a hospital), surgical, nursing, dental, ambulance, x-ray, prescription drug and prosthetic services; (ii) psychiatric, physical therapy (provided that treatment is rendered pursuant to a referral) and occupational therapy and rehabilitation; (iii) any health care services delivered by means of telehealth, as defined in subsection (b) of section three thousand two hundred seventeen-h of this chapter; (iv) any nonmedical remedial care and treatment rendered in accordance with a religious method of healing recognized by the laws of this state; and [(iv)] (v) any other professional health services; all without limitation as to time, provided that within one year after the date of the accident causing the injury it is ascertainable that further expenses may be incurred as a result of the injury. For the purpose of determining basic economic loss, the expenses incurred under this paragraph shall be in accordance with the limitations of section five thousand one hundred eight of this article.
§ 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision (a) of section 13 of the workers' compensation law, as amended by chapter 23 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06613-01-7
A. 1419 2
The employer shall promptly provide for an injured employee such medical, dental, surgical, optometric or other attendance or treatment, nurse and hospital service, medicine, optometric services, crutches, eye-glasses, false teeth, artificial eyes, orthotics, prosthetic devices, functional assistive and adaptive devices and apparatus for such period as the nature of the injury or the process of recovery may require. The employer shall be liable for the payment of the expenses of medical, dental, surgical, optometric or other attendance or treatment, nurse and hospital service, any health care services delivered by means of telehealth, as defined in subsection (b) of section three thousand two hundred seventeen-h of the insurance law, medicine, optometric services, crutches, eye-glasses, false teeth, artificial eyes, orthotics, prosthetic devices, functional assistive and adaptive devices and apparatus, as well as artificial members of the body or other devices or appliances necessary in the first instance to replace, support or relieve a portion or part of the body resulting from and necessitated by the injury of an employee, for such period as the nature of the injury or the process of recovery may require, and the employer shall also be liable for replacements or repairs of such artificial members of the body or such other devices, eye-glasses, false teeth, artificial eyes, orthotics, prosthetic devices, functional assistive and adaptive devices or appliances necessitated by ordinary wear or loss or damage to a prosthesis, with or without bodily injury to the employee. Damage to or loss of a prosthetic device shall be deemed an injury except that no disability benefits shall be payable with respect to such injury under section fifteen of this article. Such a replacement or repair of artificial members of the body or such other devices, eye-glasses, false teeth, artificial eyes, orthotics, prosthetic devices, functional assistive and adaptive devices or appliances or the providing of medical treatment and care as defined herein shall not constitute the payment of compensation under section twenty-five-a of this article. All fees and other charges for such treatment and services shall be limited to such charges as prevail in the same community for similar treatment of injured persons of a like standard of living.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
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