Bill Text: NY S08511 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires insurance policies to provide coverage for services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments; makes related provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-05-09 - REFERRED TO INSURANCE [S08511 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S08511-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          8511
                    IN SENATE
                                       May 9, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
        AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage for  services
          related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional
          disorders or ailments
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Subsection (i) of section 3216  of  the  insurance  law  is
     2  amended by adding a new paragraph 35 to read as follows:
     3    (35)  Every  policy  that  provides  medical, major medical or similar
     4  comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for services related
     5  to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders
     6  or ailments, including but not  limited  to  biologically  based  mental
     7  illnesses as defined by subparagraph (B) of paragraph five of subsection
     8  (l) of section three thousand two hundred twenty-one of this chapter and
     9  children  with serious emotional disturbances as defined by subparagraph
    10  (C) of paragraph five of subsection (l) of section  three  thousand  two
    11  hundred  twenty-one  of  this chapter, in a psychiatric center under the
    12  jurisdiction of the office of mental health or other psychiatric  in-pa-
    13  tient  facility in the department, and a psychiatric in-patient facility
    14  maintained by a political subdivision of  the  state  for  the  care  or
    15  treatment  of  the  mentally ill. Coverage required under this paragraph
    16  must by at least equal to coverage provided in such policy for the diag-
    17  nosis and  treatment  of  mental,  nervous  or  emotional  disorders  or
    18  ailments with no additional cost sharing.
    19    § 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by
    20  adding a new paragraph 5-a to read as follows:
    21    (5-a)  Every  policy  that  provides medical, major medical or similar
    22  comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for services related
    23  to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders
    24  or ailments, including but not  limited  to  biologically  based  mental
    25  illnesses  as  defined  by  subparagraph  (B)  of paragraph five of this
    26  subsection and children with serious emotional disturbances  as  defined
    27  by subparagraph (C) of paragraph five of this subsection, in a psychiat-
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10243-03-8
        S. 8511                             2
     1  ric  center  under  the  jurisdiction  of the office of mental health or
     2  other psychiatric in-patient facility in the department, and a psychiat-
     3  ric in-patient facility maintained by a  political  subdivision  of  the
     4  state  for  the care or treatment of the mentally ill. Coverage required
     5  under this paragraph must be at least equal to coverage provided in such
     6  policy for the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous  or  emotional
     7  disorders or ailments with no additional cost sharing.
     8    §  3.  Section  4303  of  the insurance law is amended by adding a new
     9  subsection (g-1) to read as follows:
    10    (g-1) Every contract that provides medical, major medical  or  similar
    11  comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for services related
    12  to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders
    13  or  ailments,  including  but  not  limited to biologically based mental
    14  illnesses as defined by subparagraph (B) of paragraph two of  subsection
    15  (g)  of this section and children with serious emotional disturbances as
    16  defined by paragraph three of subsection  (g)  of  this  section,  in  a
    17  psychiatric center under the jurisdiction of the office of mental health
    18  or  other  psychiatric  in-patient  facility  in  the  department, and a
    19  psychiatric in-patient facility maintained by a political subdivision of
    20  the state for the care  or  treatment  of  the  mentally  ill.  Coverage
    21  required  under  this  paragraph  must  be  at  least  equal to coverage
    22  provided in such policy for the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nerv-
    23  ous or emotional disorders or ailments with no additional cost sharing.
    24    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and  shall  apply  to  any
    25  policy  issued,  delivered,  renewed,  and/or  modified  on or after the
    26  effective date of this act.