NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6377
SPONSOR: Weprin (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to maintaining a database
of certain foreign language services as required by federal health care
reform laws
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill will ensure that insurance customers are able to access care
in their native language. Federal healthcare law has certain thresholds
which require insurers with a certain number of foreign language speak-
ing customers to offer documents and customer service in that language.
This is good, however it does not provide any requirements as to how
many actual practitioners covered by the plan speak that language. This
bill would require insurers on the NYS' healthcare exchange to provide a
database of the foreign language services offered by practitioners
covered by their plan, so customers can determine the most appropriate
plan for their location and language skills.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 3102 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new subsection
(g) "Foreign language services database requirement."
JUSTIFICATION:
This will allow the many New Yorkers who do not speak English as a first
language to more easily find a health&are plan which offers doctors with
the appropriate language skills.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
02/08/17 referred to insurance
01/03/18 referred to insurance
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
none to the state
EFFECTIVE DATE:
this act shall take effect on the 120th day after it shall have become
law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6377
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 5, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WEPRIN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COOK,
RAMOS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to maintaining a database
of certain foreign language services as required by federal health
care reform laws
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 3102 of the insurance law is amended by adding a
2 new subsection (g) to read as follows:
3 (g) Foreign language services database requirement. The provider of
4 any insurance policy required under the United States Patient Protection
5 and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119 (2010)) and
6 the United States Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
7 (Pub. L. No. 111-152, 124 Stat. 1029 (2010)) to provide foreign language
8 services shall maintain a database, available to every customer, client
9 or insured individual under such provider's policies. Such database
10 shall contain the name, location, specialty and languages spoken by
11 doctors, physicians and other health care providers covered by such
12 insurance provider's policies.
13 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
14 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
15 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
16 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
17 completed on or before such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03544-01-3
