Bill Text: NY A00962 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Provides that persons with hemophilia and other clotting protein deficiencies who are otherwise eligible for the Child Health Plus program shall have access to reimbursement for outpatient blood clotting factor concentrates and other necessary treatments and services.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-4)

Status: (Passed) 2013-10-23 - signed chap.428 [A00962 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A00962-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                          962
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 9, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M. of A. KELLNER, CROUCH, FINCH -- Multi-Sponsored by --
         M. of A. CURRAN, CUSICK, HEVESI, LUPARDO, MARKEY, WALTER -- read  once
         and referred to the Committee on Health
       AN  ACT  to  amend the public health law and the social services law, in
         relation to providing that persons with hemophilia and other  clotting
         protein  deficiencies  who are otherwise eligible for the Child Health
         Plus or Family Health Plus programs shall have access to reimbursement
         for outpatient blood clotting factor concentrates and other  necessary
         treatments and services
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1.   Legislative findings. Hemophilia  is  a  rare  hereditary
    2  bleeding disorder resulting from a deficiency in blood proteins known as
    3  clotting factors.  Without an adequate supply of clotting factors, indi-
    4  viduals  can experience prolonged bleeding following routine medical and
    5  dental procedures, trauma, and a range  of  physical  activities.  Addi-
    6  tionally,  individuals  with  hemophilia  often  experience  spontaneous
    7  internal bleeding that can cause severe joint damage, chronic pain,  and
    8  even death.
    9    Prior  to  the  1970s, individuals with hemophilia seldom lived beyond
   10  the age of 30 years. Early treatment consisted of whole blood and plasma
   11  transfusions at hospitals. These treatments were difficult, time consum-
   12  ing and only minimally effective. The advent  of  commercially  prepared
   13  blood  clotting  factors  in  the  1980s  represented a major advance in
   14  treatment, both in terms of efficacy and convenience. Most  importantly,
   15  these advances allowed for home infusion.
   16    In addition to hemophilia, there are several other disorders resulting
   17  from  blood  protein  deficiencies. These include Von Willebrand Disease
   18  (VWD), the most common bleeding disorder,  affecting  approximately  two
   19  million  Americans.  Individuals  with  the severest form of VWD rely on
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD02168-01-3
       A. 962                              2
    1  clotting factor treatments similar to those  used  by  individuals  with
    2  hemophilia.
    3    Clotting factor products produced today (derived from plasma or recom-
    4  binant  technology)  are  very  safe  and  highly effective medications.
    5  Access to therapies has vastly improved both  the  health  outcomes  and
    6  quality  of  life  for the majority of patients and their families. Many
    7  patients today  are  on  a  prophylactic  regimen  to  prevent  bleeding
    8  episodes.  This  preventative regimen together with the coordinated care
    9  provided by hemophilia  treatment  centers  have  significantly  reduced
   10  visits  to  emergency rooms, hospitalizations and joint damage. Further,
   11  the ability to manage hemophilia and other bleeding disorders outside of
   12  the hospital setting have  helped  improve  attendance  for  school-aged
   13  children,  decreased  absenteeism from work for adult patients and care-
   14  givers, vastly improved the ability of affected persons to join the work
   15  force, and minimized life disruptions for the entire family.
   16    Presently, New York state is the only state  in  the  U.S.  preventing
   17  access to lifesaving outpatient clotting factor products for individuals
   18  that qualify for the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
   19    The  legislature  finds  that having a policy that prohibits otherwise
   20  eligible individuals from  accessing  lifesaving  medications  not  only
   21  violates  the  spirit of these very important programs, it discriminates
   22  against a vulnerable group of individuals whose health  care  costs  are
   23  deemed  to  be  high  and fundamentally undermines the programs' overall
   24  goal of ensuring that low-income children and families  have  access  to
   25  quality  health  care.  The  legislature further finds that costs to the
   26  state for allowing individuals who qualify  for  Child  Health  Plus  or
   27  Family  Health  Plus to access the outpatient clotting products at home,
   28  the recommended model of care, will be  much  less  than  the  long-term
   29  costs  the  state  will  very  likely end up paying through the Medicaid
   30  program for individuals who later develop debilitating complications and
   31  are deemed unable to work.
   32    This legislation is intended to modify existing state law by  allowing
   33  for  the  coverage of lifesaving clotting factor products prescribed for
   34  use at home by persons with hemophilia and other clotting protein  defi-
   35  ciencies  who  are  eligible  for the Child Health Plus or Family Health
   36  Plus program.
   37    S 2. Subdivision 7 of section  2510  of  the  public  health  law,  as
   38  amended  by  section 21 of part B of chapter 109 of the laws of 2010, is
   39  amended to read as follows:
   40    7. "Covered health care services" means: the services  of  physicians,
   41  optometrists,  nurses,  nurse  practitioners, midwives and other related
   42  professional personnel  which  are  provided  on  an  outpatient  basis,
   43  including  routine well-child visits; diagnosis and treatment of illness
   44  and injury; inpatient health care services; laboratory tests; diagnostic
   45  x-rays; prescription and  non-prescription  drugs  and  durable  medical
   46  equipment;  radiation  therapy;  chemotherapy;  hemodialysis; OUTPATIENT
   47  BLOOD  CLOTTING  FACTOR  PRODUCTS  AND  OTHER  TREATMENTS  AND  SERVICES
   48  FURNISHED  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  THE  CARE OF HEMOPHILIA AND OTHER BLOOD
   49  CLOTTING  PROTEIN  DEFICIENCIES;  emergency   room   services;   hospice
   50  services;  emergency,  preventive  and  routine  dental  care, including
   51  medically necessary orthodontia but excluding cosmetic surgery; emergen-
   52  cy, preventive and routine vision care, including eyeglasses; speech and
   53  hearing services; and, inpatient and outpatient mental  health,  alcohol
   54  and substance abuse services as defined by the commissioner in consulta-
   55  tion  with  the superintendent. "Covered health care services" shall not
   56  include drugs, procedures and supplies for  the  treatment  of  erectile
       A. 962                              3
    1  dysfunction  when provided to, or prescribed for use by, a person who is
    2  required to register as a sex offender pursuant to article six-C of  the
    3  correction  law,  provided  that  any  denial of coverage of such drugs,
    4  procedures  or  supplies  shall  provide  the  patient with the means of
    5  obtaining additional information concerning  both  the  denial  and  the
    6  means of challenging such denial.
    7    S 3. Paragraph a of subdivision 7 of section 2510 of the public health
    8  law,  as  amended by chapter 526 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read
    9  as follows:
   10    a. "Primary and preventive health care services" means:  the  services
   11  of  physicians,  optometrists, nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives and
   12  other related professional personnel which are provided on an outpatient
   13  basis, including routine well-child visits; diagnosis and  treatment  of
   14  illness  and  injury;  laboratory tests; diagnostic x-rays; prescription
   15  drugs; radiation therapy; chemotherapy; hemodialysis;  OUTPATIENT  BLOOD
   16  CLOTTING  FACTOR PRODUCTS AND OTHER TREATMENTS AND SERVICES FURNISHED IN
   17  CONNECTION WITH THE CARE OF HEMOPHILIA AND OTHER BLOOD CLOTTING  PROTEIN
   18  DEFICIENCIES; emergency room services; hospice services; and, outpatient
   19  alcohol  and  substance abuse services as defined by the commissioner in
   20  consultation with the superintendent.
   21    S 4. Subparagraphs (xv) and (xvi) of paragraph (e) of subdivision 1 of
   22  section 369-ee of the social services law, subparagraph (xv) as  amended
   23  and  subparagraph (xvi) as added by chapter 526 of the laws of 2002, are
   24  amended and a new paragraph (xvii) is added to read as follows:
   25    (xv) services provided to meet the requirements of 42 U.S.C. 1396d(r);
   26  [and]
   27    (xvi) hospice services[.]; AND
   28    (XVII) OUTPATIENT BLOOD CLOTTING FACTOR PRODUCTS AND OTHER  TREATMENTS
   29  AND  SERVICES  FURNISHED  IN  CONNECTION WITH THE CARE OF HEMOPHILIA AND
   30  OTHER BLOOD CLOTTING PROTEIN DEFICIENCIES AS DEFINED BY THE COMMISSIONER
   31  OF HEALTH IN CONSULTATION WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT.
   32    S 5.  This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
   33  the date upon which it shall have become a law, provided that the amend-
   34  ments to subdivision 7 of section 2510 of the public health law made  by
   35  section two of this act shall be subject to the expiration and reversion
   36  of such subdivision pursuant to subdivision 4 of section 47 of chapter 2
   37  of  the  laws of 1998, as amended, when upon such date the provisions of
   38  section three of this act shall take effect.
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