Bill Text: NY S02822 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the superintendent of financial services, in consultation with the commissioner of health, to study the relationship between patient access to care and treatment of Lyme disease and health insurance coverage.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO INSURANCE [S02822 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S02822-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2822

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 25, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. SERINO, KENNEDY, RITCHIE, TEDISCO -- read twice and
          ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
          Insurance

        AN  ACT  directing the superintendent of financial services to study the
          relationship between patient access to  care  and  treatment  of  Lyme
          disease and health insurance coverage

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The legislature hereby finds that the increasing number  of
     2  Lyme  disease  and  tick-borne  related diseases in New York state high-
     3  lights the need to examine the relationship between  patient  access  to
     4  care  and treatment of Lyme disease and health insurance coverage.  Lyme
     5  disease is one of several tick-borne diseases that may result  in  symp-
     6  toms  including,  but  not  limited  to,  extreme and long-term fatigue,
     7  nausea, depression, and joint pain. Lyme  disease  is  the  most  common
     8  vector-borne illness in the United States and New York is one of a group
     9  of  14  states  that  account  for  95%  of  cases in the United States.
    10  According to the New York State Department of Health, over 20,000  cases
    11  of Lyme disease were diagnosed between years 2012 and 2014.
    12    §  2.  The  superintendent of financial services, in consultation with
    13  the commissioner of health, shall review the status of health  insurance
    14  coverage  for the treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne related
    15  diseases, and make recommendations regarding potential changes to insur-
    16  ance coverage requirements and parameters. Such  review  shall  include,
    17  but not be limited to:
    18    (a)  The current range of insurance coverage for the treatment of Lyme
    19  and other tick-borne related diseases within New York State;
    20    (b) Reasons for insurer denial of coverage for the treatment  of  Lyme
    21  and other tick-borne related diseases;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07302-01-1
        S. 2822                             2

     1    (c)  Insurance  coverage required by other states for the treatment of
     2  symptoms related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and  their  esti-
     3  mated costs and payment models;
     4    (d)  The  estimated  cost  of  expanding coverage for the treatment of
     5  symptoms related to Lyme disease and other tick-borne related diseases.
     6    § 3. Within one hundred eighty days of the effective date of this act,
     7  the superintendent of financial services shall submit a  report  to  the
     8  governor,  temporary  president  of  the  senate  and the speaker of the
     9  assembly of the department of financial services' findings,  conclusions
    10  and recommendations.
    11    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.