Bill Text: NY S08002 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the office of alcoholism and substance abuse services to provide for an ombudsman for substance use disorder insurance coverage to receive complaints about and make recommendations on insurance coverage for substance use disorder treatment and care.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-19 - REFERRED TO ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE [S08002 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S08002-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          8002
                    IN SENATE
                                     March 19, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sens.  AMEDORE, HANNON, AKSHAR, JACOBS -- read twice and
          ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
          Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the mental hygiene law, in relation to directing the
          office of alcoholism  and  substance  abuse  services  to  provide  an
          ombudsman for substance use disorder insurance coverage
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 19.07 of the  mental  hygiene  law  is  amended  by
     2  adding a new subdivision (l) to read as follows:
     3    (l)  (1)  The  office  shall  establish,  either  directly  or through
     4  contract, an ombudsman for substance use  disorder  insurance  coverage.
     5  Such  ombudsman shall have expertise in substance use disorder treatment
     6  and advocacy, experience with insurance coverage requirements, and  such
     7  other  qualifications  as  shall  be  determined by the commissioner, in
     8  consultation with the superintendent of financial services.
     9    (2) The ombudsman for substance use disorder insurance coverage shall:
    10    (i) identify, accept, investigate, refer and resolve  complaints  that
    11  are  made  by  or  on  behalf  of consumers relative to health insurance
    12  coverage of and access to initial and continuing substance use  disorder
    13  care, including medication assisted treatment, both inpatient and outpa-
    14  tient;
    15    (ii)  accept,  investigate, refer and resolve complaints that are made
    16  by treatment providers relative to  health  insurance  coverage  of  and
    17  reimbursement  for  initial  or  continuing substance use disorder care,
    18  including medication assisted treatment, both inpatient and outpatient;
    19    (iii) accept, investigate, refer and resolve complaints that are  made
    20  by or on behalf of consumers or by providers relative to network adequa-
    21  cy  for  access to and continuing substance use disorder care, including
    22  medication assisted treatment, both inpatient and outpatient; and
    23    (iv) make recommendations to the commissioner and  the  superintendent
    24  of  financial  services biennially beginning October first, two thousand
    25  nineteen, on regulatory and/or statutory  changes  necessary  to  ensure
    26  access  to  appropriate  care,  and such recommendations shall be shared
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14734-02-8
        S. 8002                             2
     1  with the  legislature  upon  issuance.  Such  recommendations  may  also
     2  include whether the ombudsman role should be extended to include broader
     3  behavioral health insurance complaints and concerns.
     4    §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
     5  have become a law.