STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5656

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 10, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. PERSAUD, GOUNARDES -- read twice and ordered print-
          ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

        AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to including doulas
          as medical services providers for Medicaid recipients;  directing  the
          commissioner  of  health  to  submit an application for amendments and
          waivers to add doulas to state Medicaid coverage;  and  directing  the
          commissioner  of health and the commissioner of the office of children
          and family services to add, amend and/or repeal any rule or regulation
          necessary for the implementation of this act

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

     1    Section  1.  Paragraph  (d)  of  subdivision 1 of section 364-j of the
     2  social services law, as amended by chapter 653 of the laws of  1997,  is
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    (d) "Medical services provider". A physician, nurse, nurse practition-
     5  er,  physician  assistant, licensed midwife, doula, dentist, optometrist
     6  or other licensed health care practitioner authorized to provide medical
     7  assistance services.
     8    § 2. The commissioner of health is directed to apply  for  such  state
     9  Medicaid plan amendments or waivers as may be necessary to implement the
    10  provisions of this act and include doula care as a covered service under
    11  the  state  Medicaid plan, and to secure federal financial participation
    12  for state Medicaid expenditures for doula care under the  federal  Medi-
    13  caid program.
    14    §  3.  Effective  immediately the addition, amendment and/or repeal of
    15  any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this  act  on
    16  its  effective  date  are  authorized  to  be  made and completed by the
    17  commissioner of health and the state commissioner of children and family
    18  services on or before such date.
    19    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that section one
    20  of this act shall take effect upon receipt by the commissioner of health

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05347-01-9
        S. 5656                             2

     1  of approval from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to
     2  include doula care as a covered service under the state  Medicaid  plan;
     3  provided,  further,  that  the amendments to section 364-j of the social
     4  services law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal
     5  of such section and shall be deemed repealed therewith. The commissioner
     6  of health shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission upon the
     7  occurrence  of the receipt of such approval in order that the commission
     8  may maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of the  official
     9  text of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating
    10  the  provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of
    11  the public officers law.