Bill Text: NY A04093 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Authorizes payments to nonparticipating or nonpreferred providers of ambulance services licensed under article 30 of the public health law.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-8)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-04 - referred to insurance [A04093 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-A04093-Amended.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        4093--B
                                                                  R. R. 102
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   February 1, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of  A. MORELLE, RUSSELL, LATIMER, LIFTON, BENEDETTO,
         GUNTHER -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.  AMEDORE,  JOHNS,  P. LOPEZ,
         McENENY, McLAUGHLIN, RAMOS, SWEENEY, TEDISCO -- read once and referred
         to  the Committee on Insurance -- reported and referred to the Commit-
         tee on Rules -- Rules  Committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
         reprinted  as  amended  and  recommitted  to the Committee on Rules --
         amended on the special order of third reading,  ordered  reprinted  as
         amended, retaining its place on the special order of third reading
       AN  ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to payments to prehospi-
         tal emergency medical services providers
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1. Section 3224-a of the insurance law is amended by adding a
    2  new subsection (i) to read as follows:
    3    (I) PAYMENTS TO NONPARTICIPATING OR NONPREFERRED  PROVIDERS  OF  AMBU-
    4  LANCE  SERVICES  LICENSED UNDER ARTICLE THIRTY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW.
    5  (1) WHENEVER AN INSURER OR AN ORGANIZATION, OR CORPORATION  LICENSED  OR
    6  CERTIFIED PURSUANT TO ARTICLE FORTY-THREE OR FORTY-SEVEN OF THIS CHAPTER
    7  OR  ARTICLE FORTY-FOUR OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW PROVIDES THAT ANY HEALTH
    8  CARE CLAIMS SUBMITTED UNDER CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS  ISSUED  OR  ENTERED
    9  INTO  PURSUANT  TO  THIS  ARTICLE  OR ARTICLES FORTY-TWO, FORTY-THREE OR
   10  FORTY-SEVEN OF THIS CHAPTER AND ARTICLE FORTY-FOUR OF THE PUBLIC  HEALTH
   11  LAW  ARE  PAYABLE  TO A PARTICIPATING OR PREFERRED PROVIDER OF AMBULANCE
   12  SERVICES FOR SERVICES RENDERED, THE  INSURER,  ORGANIZATION,  OR  CORPO-
   13  RATION   LICENSED  OR  CERTIFIED  PURSUANT  TO  ARTICLE  FORTY-THREE  OR
   14  FORTY-SEVEN OF THIS CHAPTER OR ARTICLE FORTY-FOUR OF THE  PUBLIC  HEALTH
   15  LAW  SHALL BE REQUIRED TO PAY SUCH BENEFITS EITHER DIRECTLY TO ANY SIMI-
   16  LARLY LICENSED NONPARTICIPATING OR NONPREFERRED PROVIDER  AT  THE  USUAL
   17  AND CUSTOMARY CHARGE, WHICH SHALL NOT BE EXCESSIVE OR UNREASONABLE, WHEN
   18  THE  PROVIDER  HAS  RENDERED  SUCH SERVICES, HAS A WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT OF
   19  BENEFITS, AND HAS CAUSED WRITTEN NOTICE OF SUCH ASSIGNMENT TO  BE  GIVEN
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD04592-05-1
       A. 4093--B                          2
    1  TO  THE  INSURER,  ORGANIZATION,  OR  CORPORATION  LICENSED OR CERTIFIED
    2  PURSUANT TO ARTICLE FORTY-THREE OR FORTY-SEVEN OF THIS CHAPTER OR  ARTI-
    3  CLE  FORTY-FOUR  OF  THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW OR JOINTLY TO SUCH NONPARTIC-
    4  IPATING  OR  NONPREFERRED  PROVIDER  AND  TO THE INSURED, SUBSCRIBER, OR
    5  OTHER COVERED PERSON; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT IN EITHER CASE THE  INSUR-
    6  ER, ORGANIZATION, OR CORPORATION LICENSED OR CERTIFIED PURSUANT TO ARTI-
    7  CLE  FORTY-THREE OR FORTY-SEVEN OF THIS CHAPTER OR ARTICLE FORTY-FOUR OF
    8  THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW SHALL BE REQUIRED TO SEND  SUCH  BENEFIT  PAYMENTS
    9  DIRECTLY TO THE PROVIDER WHO HAS THE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT. WHEN PAYMENT IS
   10  MADE  DIRECTLY TO A PROVIDER OF AMBULANCE SERVICES AS AUTHORIZED BY THIS
   11  SECTION, THE INSURER, ORGANIZATION, OR CORPORATION LICENSED OR CERTIFIED
   12  PURSUANT TO ARTICLE FORTY-THREE OR FORTY-SEVEN OF THIS CHAPTER OR  ARTI-
   13  CLE  FORTY-FOUR  OF  THE  PUBLIC HEALTH LAW SHALL GIVE WRITTEN NOTICE OF
   14  SUCH PAYMENT TO THE INSURED, SUBSCRIBER, OR OTHER COVERED PERSON.
   15    (2)  AN  INSURER  SHALL  PROVIDE  REIMBURSEMENT  FOR  THOSE   SERVICES
   16  PRESCRIBED  BY  THIS SECTION AT RATES NEGOTIATED BETWEEN THE INSURER AND
   17  THE PROVIDER OF SUCH SERVICES. IN THE ABSENCE OF AGREED UPON  RATES,  AN
   18  INSURER  SHALL  PAY FOR SUCH SERVICES AT THE USUAL AND CUSTOMARY CHARGE,
   19  WHICH SHALL NOT BE EXCESSIVE OR UNREASONABLE.
   20    (3) NOTHING CONTAINED IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE DEEMED TO PROHIBIT  THE
   21  PAYMENT  OF  DIFFERENT  LEVELS OF BENEFITS OR FROM HAVING DIFFERENCES IN
   22  COINSURANCE  PERCENTAGES  APPLICABLE  TO  BENEFIT  LEVELS  FOR  SERVICES
   23  PROVIDED BY PARTICIPATING OR PREFERRED PROVIDERS AND NONPARTICIPATING OR
   24  NONPREFERRED PROVIDERS.
   25    THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO POLICIES THAT DO NOT
   26  INCLUDE COVERAGE FOR AMBULANCE SERVICES.
   27    S  2.  Subparagraphs  (C) and (D) of paragraph 24 of subsection (i) of
   28  section 3216 of the insurance law, as added by chapter 506 of  the  laws
   29  of 2001, are amended to read as follows:
   30    (C)   An  insurer  shall  provide  reimbursement  for  those  services
   31  prescribed by this section at rates negotiated between the  insurer  and
   32  the  provider  of such services. In the absence of agreed upon rates, an
   33  insurer shall pay for such services at the usual and  customary  charge,
   34  which  shall  not  be excessive or unreasonable.  THE INSURER SHALL SEND
   35  SUCH PAYMENTS DIRECTLY TO THE PROVIDER OF SUCH  AMBULANCE  SERVICES,  IF
   36  THE  AMBULANCE  SERVICE INCLUDES AN EXECUTED ASSIGNMENT OF BENEFITS FORM
   37  WITH THE CLAIM.
   38    (D) The provisions of this paragraph  shall  have  no  application  to
   39  transfers  of patients between hospitals or health care facilities by an
   40  ambulance service as described in subparagraph  (A)  of  this  paragraph
   41  UNLESS SUCH SERVICES ARE COVERED UNDER THE POLICY.
   42    S  3.  Subparagraphs  (C) and (D) of paragraph 15 of subsection (l) of
   43  section 3221 of the insurance law, as added by chapter 506 of  the  laws
   44  of 2001, are amended to read as follows:
   45    (C)   An  insurer  shall  provide  reimbursement  for  those  services
   46  prescribed by this section at rates negotiated between the  insurer  and
   47  the  provider  of such services. In the absence of agreed upon rates, an
   48  insurer shall pay for such services at the usual and  customary  charge,
   49  which  shall  not  be excessive or unreasonable.  THE INSURER SHALL SEND
   50  SUCH PAYMENTS DIRECTLY TO THE PROVIDER OF SUCH  AMBULANCE  SERVICES,  IF
   51  THE  AMBULANCE  SERVICE INCLUDES AN EXECUTED ASSIGNMENT OF BENEFITS FORM
   52  WITH THE CLAIM.
   53    (D) The provisions of this paragraph  shall  have  no  application  to
   54  transfers  of patients between hospitals or health care facilities by an
   55  ambulance service as described in subparagraph  (A)  of  this  paragraph
   56  UNLESS SUCH SERVICES ARE COVERED UNDER THE POLICY.
       A. 4093--B                          3
    1    S  4.  Paragraphs  3  and  4 of subsection (aa) of section 4303 of the
    2  insurance law, as added by chapter 506 of the laws of 2001, are  amended
    3  to read as follows:
    4    (3)   An  insurer  shall  provide  reimbursement  for  those  services
    5  prescribed by this section at rates negotiated between the  insurer  and
    6  the  provider  of such services. In the absence of agreed upon rates, an
    7  insurer shall pay for such services at the usual and  customary  charge,
    8  which  shall  not  be excessive or unreasonable.  THE INSURER SHALL SEND
    9  SUCH PAYMENTS DIRECTLY TO THE PROVIDER OF SUCH  AMBULANCE  SERVICES,  IF
   10  THE  AMBULANCE  SERVICE INCLUDES AN EXECUTED ASSIGNMENT OF BENEFITS FORM
   11  WITH THE CLAIM.
   12    (4) The provisions of this subsection shall  have  no  application  to
   13  transfers  of patients between hospitals or health care facilities by an
   14  ambulance service as described  in  paragraph  one  of  this  subsection
   15  UNLESS SUCH SERVICES ARE COVERED UNDER THE POLICY.
   16    S  5.  This  act  shall take effect January 1, 2012 and shall apply to
   17  health care claims submitted for payment after such date.
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