What's happening
This bill authorizes Westchester Health Care Corporation to collaborate with nearby counties' providers on certain activities and grants antitrust immunity for those collaborations.
Why it matters
Facilitates regional health care collaboration. By allowing Westchester Health Care Corporation (WHCC) to work with providers across eight counties, the bill aims to break down institutional silos, potentially improving efficiency and access to care for a broader population, including underserved patients.
Targets better quality and efficiency. The bill specifically authorizes activities like developing joint health information technology, setting shared clinical standards, and coordinating services to reduce redundancy. This could lead to more standardized care and cost savings across participating health systems.
Limits antitrust liability for certain collaborations. By granting immunity from federal and state antitrust laws for specified joint activities, the bill removes legal barriers that often prevent health care organizations from collaborating. This may accelerate innovation and integration, but also raises questions about oversight and competition in the health care market.
Includes important boundaries. The antitrust immunity applies only to the listed activities (e.g., IT, clinical standards, joint purchasing), and explicitly does not extend to actions that would improperly restrict labor markets or go beyond the scope defined in the bill. This is designed to protect both workers and the public from potential abuses.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Westchester Health Network
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
10 Co-sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1584
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 15, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ABINANTI, GALEF, PRETLOW, PAULIN, OTIS, JAFFEE, BRABENEC, BYRNE, BUCHWALD, TAYLOR, BARRON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to authorizing the Westchester health care corporation to enter into agreements for the creation and operation of a health care delivery system network
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 3306 of the public authorities law is amended by adding a new subdivision 8 to read as follows:
8. As set forth in section thirty-three hundred one of this title, the creation and operation of the Westchester County Health Care Corporation is for the benefit of the residents of the state of New York and the county of Westchester, including persons in need of health care services without the ability to pay, and is a state, county, and public purpose. The corporation has advised that it intends to engage in certain collaborative activities with and limited to, health care providers in the eight lower Hudson valley counties of Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Putnam, Sullivan, and Delaware, as set forth in section thirty-three hundred one of this title, for the purpose of promoting, and only to the extent necessary to promote, improved quality of and access to health care services and improved clinical outcomes, consisting of: (a) development of a non-exclusive joint health information technology platform; (b) development of a joint set of clinical quality standards; (c) coordination and integration of clinical service to reduce redundancy and increase efficiency; (d) joint discussions with rural hospitals regarding the possibility of coordinating and integrating clinical services; and (e) joint purchasing of services, supplies and equipment related to the provisions of health care services. To promote improved quality of and access to health care services and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05198-01-9
A. 1584 2
improved clinical outcomes, and consistent with the corporation's furtherance of its health care purposes through the exercise of the special powers exercised pursuant to this section and the general powers exercised pursuant to this title, it is the policy of the state to supplant competition for the purpose of immunizing the planning and implementation of the enumerated activities by the corporation in collaboration with any one of the aforementioned entities from liability under the federal and state antitrust laws; provided, however, that nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to extend such declaration of policy to any activities other than those specifically enumerated and described in this subdivision, which remain subject to any and all applicable state and federal antitrust laws; and provided further that such declaration of policy shall not apply to any activities that improperly restrict competitive labor markets in violation of all applicable state and federal antitrust laws.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.