Directs the department of health to study and plan for integrating blockchain technology into the New York State of Health Marketplace and the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY) to improve interoperability and efficiency across these platforms; requires reporting; allows for public comment.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10383
IN ASSEMBLY
March 3, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RA -- read once and referred to the Committee on
Health
AN ACT directing the department of health to study and plan for inte-
grating blockchain technology into the New York State of Health
Marketplace and the Statewide Health Information Network for New York
(SHIN-NY) to improve interoperability and efficiency across these
platforms
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. Fragmented medical records
2 drive delays, costs, and compliance burdens for patients, providers, and
3 insurers. To address this, New York should modernize its data infras-
4 tructure with a secure, interoperable, blockchain-enabled digital health
5 ID administered by the department of health, improving record portabil-
6 ity, real-time authorized access, and reducing manual transfers.
7 New York already operates the New York State of Health Marketplace and
8 the SHIN-NY health information network, both under the department of
9 health. However, they lack full interoperability and a unified patient
10 identity. Integrating blockchain-based digital IDs into the New York
11 State of Health and building on SHIN-NY would create a single secure
12 health account per patient, strengthen coordination among providers and
13 payers, enhance user control over data access, reduce fraud and identity
14 theft, and limit commercial misuse of personal data. These IDs also
15 provide individuals with sovereign control over access to personal
16 records and secure data from fraud and identity theft.
17 The department of health should also evaluate smart contracts in the
18 insurance marketplace. These self-executing agreements can cut fraud,
19 errors, and processing time by releasing funds only when validated
20 conditions are met, helping prevent upcoding and unbundling while yield-
21 ing cost savings across hospital systems and for patients.
22 § 2. Study and draft implementation plan. The commissioner of the
23 department of health is hereby directed to conduct a comprehensive study
24 and produce a draft implementation plan examining the feasibility, bene-
25 fits, risks, costs, and operational impacts of integrating blockchain
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14785-01-6
A. 10383 2
1 technology into the New York State of Health Marketplace and SHIN-NY,
2 consistent with state and federal privacy, security, and data-sharing
3 laws, including, but not limited to:
4 1. the use of secure, privacy-preserving digital health identification
5 accounts;
6 2. the application of smart contracts in insurance administration,
7 including eligibility verification, enrollment, and claims processing;
8 and
9 3. interoperability between the New York State of Health platform and
10 SHIN-NY, including standards for data governance, access controls, and
11 auditability.
12 § 3. Report. The commissioner of the department of health shall submit
13 a report of the study's findings and the draft implementation plan to
14 the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the
15 assembly, the minority leader of the senate, and the minority leader of
16 the assembly no later than one year after the effective date of this
17 act. The study and draft implementation plan shall also be made public-
18 ly available on the department's website.
19 § 4. Public comment. Upon completion, the department of health shall
20 release the study and draft implementation plan for a public comment
21 period of no less than two months, and shall actively solicit input from
22 stakeholders, including health care providers, insurers, patient advo-
23 cates, privacy experts, and technology experts.
24 § 5. Final plan. Following consideration of public comments, the
25 department of health shall finalize the implementation plan and submit
26 the final plan to the governor and the legislature. No implementation
27 actions shall be undertaken unless authorized by subsequent legislative
28 enactment or existing law.
29 § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
