What's happening
This bill requires health insurance to cover up to $3,000 per hearing aid without copays.
Why it matters
Statewide coverage mandate. Requires individual and group health policies and health service or hospital service corporation contracts issued or delivered in New York to cover hearing aids without deductibles, coinsurance or copayments.
Age-based reimbursement. Provides up to $3,000 per hearing aid every four years for people 16 and older and every two years for younger children. Children qualify for additional reimbursement if their hearing changes significantly and their existing aid no longer corrects the loss.
Covered services. Includes recasing, reshelling and new molds, but excludes batteries and cords. The requirements would apply to policies issued, modified or renewed starting the January 1 after the bill becomes law.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Insured people with hearing loss
They would receive reimbursement toward hearing aids without deductibles, coinsurance or copayments.
Families of children under 16
Their children would qualify for more frequent reimbursement and additional coverage when specified hearing changes require replacement aids.
Health insurers
They would have to provide the hearing aid benefits in covered policies and contracts.
Registered hearing aid dispensers and licensed audiologists
Covered aids must be purchased from these providers, who would determine the device needed.
Headline styles
Require Hearing Aid Coverage
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Referred to insurance
- Referred to insurance
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1168
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL, ABINANTI -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to providing coverage for hearing aids
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 35 to read as follows:
(35) (A) Every health insurance policy issued or delivered in this state shall provide coverage for hearing aids purchased from hearing aid dispensers registered under article thirty-seven-A of the general business law or audiologists licensed under article one hundred fifty-nine of the education law in the following manner:
(i) for an insured person who is sixteen years of age or older, such insured person shall be entitled to reimbursement of up to three thousand dollars every four years for expenses related to the purchase of each hearing aid.
(ii) for an insured person who is less than sixteen years of age, such insured person shall be entitled to reimbursement of up to three thousand dollars every two years for expenses related to the purchase of each hearing aid. When it is demonstrated that (1) the insured child's hearing has changed significantly within a two year period and (2) the existing hearing aid will no longer correct the child's hearing loss, such insured person shall be entitled to reimbursement for additional hearing aid expenses.
(B)(i) For the purposes of this paragraph "hearing aid" shall mean any wearable instrument or devices designed for hearing and any parts, attachments or accessories but excluding batteries and cords or accessories thereto. A registered hearing aid dispenser or licensed audiologist shall determine the type of device needed to correct the hearing loss.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03480-01-9
A. 1168 2
(ii) For the purposes of this section, services for recasing, reshelling and acquiring new molds shall be included as part of the policies.
(C) Coverage provided pursuant to this paragraph shall not be subject to deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments.
§ 2. Section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new subsection (t) to read as follows:
(t) (1) Every group health insurance policy issued or delivered in this state shall provide coverage for hearing aids purchased from hearing aid dispensers registered under article thirty-seven-A of the general business law or audiologists licensed under article one hundred fifty-nine of the education law in the following manner:
(A) for an insured person who is sixteen years of age or older, such insured person shall be entitled to reimbursement of up to three thousand dollars every four years for expenses related to the purchase of each hearing aid.
(B) for an insured person who is less than sixteen years of age, such insured person shall be entitled to reimbursement of up to three thousand dollars every two years for expenses related to the purchase of each hearing aid. When it is demonstrated that (i) the insured child's hearing has changed significantly within a two year period and (ii) the existing hearing aid will no longer correct the child's hearing loss, such insured person shall be entitled to reimbursement for additional hearing aid expenses.
(2)(A) For the purposes of this subsection, "hearing aid" shall mean any wearable instrument or devices designed for hearing and any parts, attachments or accessories but excluding batteries and cords or accessories thereto. A registered hearing aid dispenser or licensed audiologist shall determine the type of device needed to correct the hearing loss.
(B) For the purposes of this section, services for recasing, reshelling and acquiring new molds shall be included as part of the policies.
(3) Coverage provided pursuant to this subsection shall not be subject to deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments.
§ 3. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new subsection (ss) to read as follows:
(ss) (1) Every contract issued or delivered in this state by a health service corporation or hospital service corporation shall provide coverage for hearing aids purchased from hearing aid dispensers registered under article thirty-seven-A of the general business law or audiologists licensed under article one hundred fifty-nine of the education law in the following manner:
(A) for an insured person who is sixteen years of age or older, such insured person shall be entitled to reimbursement of up to three thousand dollars every four years for expenses related to the purchase of each hearing aid.
(B) for an insured person who is less than sixteen years of age, such insured person shall be entitled to reimbursement of up to three thousand dollars every two years for expenses related to the purchase of each hearing aid. When it is demonstrated that (i) the insured child's hearing has changed significantly within a two year period and (ii) the existing hearing aid will no longer correct the child's hearing loss, such insured person shall be entitled to reimbursement for additional hearing aid expenses.
(2)(A) For the purposes of this subsection, "hearing aid" shall mean any wearable instrument or devices designed for hearing and any parts, attachments or accessories but excluding batteries and cords or accesso-
A. 1168 3
ries thereto. A registered hearing aid dispenser or licensed audiologist shall determine the type of device needed to correct the hearing loss.
(B) For the purposes of this section, services for recasing, reshelling and acquiring new molds shall be included as part of the policies.
(3) Coverage provided pursuant to this subsection shall not be subject to deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments.
§ 4. 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 all policies issued, modified or renewed on and after such date.
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.