What's happening
This bill requires health insurance policies in New York to cover the costs of acquiring, training, certifying, and caring for service animals when medically necessary.
Why it matters
Expands access to service animals for people with medical needs. by ensuring insurance must cover not only the cost of the animal itself, but also training, certification, and ongoing veterinary care—potentially lowering out-of-pocket costs for those who need service animals for disabilities or medical conditions.
Standardizes what qualifies as a service animal under insurance law. by tying the definition to New York’s penal law, which may reduce ambiguity and disputes between patients and insurers about what animals are covered.
Requires a licensed physician’s determination of medical necessity. , which means coverage isn’t automatic but must be justified by a doctor—potentially ensuring that insurance resources are directed to those with verifiable need, while also introducing a new process for patients and providers.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Insurance for Service Animals
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to insurance
- Referred to insurance
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
707
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. BRONSON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to requiring medical insurance carriers to provide certain coverage for service animals
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) Every policy which provides medical, major medical, or similar comprehensive-type coverage must provide coverage for the acquisition, training, certification and veterinary care of a service animal, as defined in subdivision one of section 242.00 of the penal law, when such animal is deemed medically necessary by a licensed physician.
§ 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new paragraph 21 to read as follows:
(21) Every policy which provides medical, major medical, or similar comprehensive-type coverage must provide coverage for the acquisition, training, certification and veterinary care of a service animal, as defined in subdivision one of section 242.00 of the penal law, when such animal is deemed medically necessary by a licensed physician.
§ 3. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new subsection (ss) to read as follows:
(ss) Every contract issued by a hospital services corporation or a health services corporation which provides medical, major medical, or similar comprehensive-type coverage must provide coverage for the acquisition, training, certification and veterinary care of a service animal, as defined in subdivision one of section 242.00 of the penal law, when such animal is deemed medically necessary by a licensed physician.
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04297-01-9
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.