What's happening
This bill repeals existing telehealth law and ensures Medicaid covers services delivered via telehealth, defining "telehealth" in state law.
Why it matters
Guarantees Medicaid enrollees cannot be denied coverage for services simply because they are delivered via telehealth, helping reduce geographic and mobility barriers to care.
Establishes a clear, statewide legal definition of "telehealth," potentially providing consistency for providers, patients, and payers, and reducing confusion over what services qualify.
Removes existing, possibly outdated, telehealth law (Article 29-G of the public health law), signaling an effort to modernize and streamline telehealth regulation in New York.
Aligns state telehealth policy with federal requirements, which could help maximize federal funding and ensure New York Medicaid remains compliant and eligible for federal financial support.
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History
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Referred to health
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
9521
IN ASSEMBLY
January 19, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. GOTTFRIED -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to telehealth under medical assistance; and to repeal article 29-G of the public health law relating to telehealth delivery of services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Article 29-G of the public health law is REPEALED.
§ 2. The section heading and subdivision 2 of section 367-u of the social services law, the section heading as added by section 63-c of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 2007, subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 6 of the laws of 2015, are amended to read as follows:
Payment for [home] telehealth services.
2. (a) Subject to federal financial participation and the approval of the director of the budget, [the commissioner shall not exclude from the payment of medical assistance funds the delivery of health care services through telehealth, as defined in subdivision four of section two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine-cc of the public health law] medical assistance shall not exclude from coverage a service that is otherwise covered under medical assistance because the service is delivered via telehealth. Such services shall meet the requirements of federal law, rules and regulations for the provision of medical assistance pursuant to this title.
(b) For purposes of this subdivision, "telehealth" means the use of electronic information and communication technologies by a health care provider to deliver health care services to an individual while such individual is located at a site that is different from the site where the health care provider is located.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14094-01-8
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.