What's happening
This bill requires health insurance policies in New York to cover mental health diagnosis and treatment for children under 18 with no extra cost-sharing.
Why it matters
Reduces Cost Barriers for Families. By eliminating extra cost-sharing (like copays or deductibles) for children's mental health care, the bill ensures families are less likely to delay or avoid seeking necessary diagnosis or treatment due to financial concerns.
Comprehensive Coverage Across Settings. The bill requires coverage for a wide range of mental, nervous, or emotional disorders—including serious emotional disturbances and biologically based mental illnesses—and applies to both outpatient and inpatient care in psychiatric centers or facilities under state or local jurisdiction.
Standardizes Access Regardless of Insurance Type. It mandates that all types of comprehensive health insurance policies (individual, group, and HMO contracts) provide this coverage, so children’s access to mental health care is less dependent on the specifics of a family's insurance plan.
Immediate and Broad Impact. The law takes effect immediately and applies to all new and renewed policies, meaning families can benefit from these protections without waiting for a long phase-in period.
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Who cares
Children under 18 and their families
The bill would require comprehensive health coverage to cover mental health diagnosis and treatment in specified state and local psychiatric facilities, with no additional cost sharing.
Health insurers
The bill would require covered policies and contracts to provide benefits for these services at least equal to their existing mental health coverage.
Office of Mental Health psychiatric centers
The bill would require coverage for children’s mental health services in centers under the office’s jurisdiction.
Local governments operating inpatient psychiatric facilities
The bill would require coverage for children’s mental health diagnosis and treatment in psychiatric inpatient facilities maintained by political subdivisions of the state.
Headline styles
Cover Kids' Mental Health
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to insurance
- Referred to insurance
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
21
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. MAGNARELLI, JONES, COOK, COLTON, SIMON, BARRETT, DE LOS SANTOS, RAGA, BURDICK, EACHUS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage for children for services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments
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 40 to read as follows:
(40) (A) Every policy that provides medical, major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for children for services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments, including but not limited to biologically based mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances, in a psychiatric center under the jurisdiction of the office of mental health or other psychiatric in-patient facility in the department, and a psychiatric in-patient facility maintained by a political subdivision of the state for the care or treatment of the mentally ill. Coverage required under this paragraph must be at least equal to coverage provided in such policy for the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments with no additional cost sharing.
(B) For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "children" shall mean any person under the age of eighteen years.
§ 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new paragraph 5-a to read as follows:
(5-a) (A) Every policy that provides medical, major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for children for services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00321-01-5
emotional disorders or ailments, including but not limited to biologically based mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances, in a psychiatric center under the jurisdiction of the office of mental health or other psychiatric in-patient facility in the department, and a psychiatric in-patient facility maintained by a political subdivision of the state for the care or treatment of the mentally ill. Coverage required under this paragraph must be at least equal to coverage provided in such policy for the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments with no additional cost sharing.
(B) For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "children" shall mean any person under the age of eighteen years.
§ 3. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new subsection (g-1) to read as follows:
(g-1) (1) Every contract that provides medical, major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for children for services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments, including but not limited to biologically based mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances, in a psychiatric center under the jurisdiction of the office of mental health or other psychiatric in-patient facility in the department, and a psychiatric in-patient facility maintained by a political subdivision of the state for the care or treatment of the mentally ill. Coverage required under this paragraph must be at least equal to coverage provided in such policy for the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments with no additional cost sharing.
(2) For the purposes of this subsection, the term "children" shall mean any person under the age of eighteen years.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any policy issued, delivered, renewed, and/or modified on or after the effective date of this act.
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.