Requires a person incarcerated in state and county-owned or operated correctional facilities to make medical co-payments of seven dollars upon receipt of medical treatment; provides that an incarcerated individual shall not be refused treatment for lack of ability to pay co-payment charges; directs all moneys collected to be made available for the operation of such correctional facility.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3447
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 27, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. HELMING -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and
Correction
AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to requiring incarcerat-
ed individuals to make medical co-payments
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 608
2 to read as follows:
3 § 608. Medical treatment co-payment. 1. A person incarcerated in an
4 institution of the department or any county-owned or operated local
5 correctional facility shall make a medical co-payment in the amount of
6 seven dollars upon receipt of medical treatment.
7 2. Each incarcerated individual shall be required to sign a log docu-
8 menting the scheduled time of visit, inmate name and ID number and
9 description of complaint.
10 3. Each medical co-payment shall be posted to the incarcerated indi-
11 viduals' accounts either as medical or dental charges to facilitate
12 response to inmate queries.
13 4. Each incarcerated individual shall be sent an account statement at
14 the end of each month showing all credits and debits against the account
15 and accompanying explanations.
16 5. Should an incarcerated individual not have sufficient funds in
17 their account to cover the charges, then their account shall be frozen
18 pending receipt of funds sufficient to satisfy their obligation.
19 6. An incarcerated individual shall not be refused treatment for lack
20 of ability to pay co-payment charges. The charge is assessed after
21 completion of the visit when the visit log is processed.
22 7. Incarcerated individuals are not assessed co-payment charges for
23 psychiatric visits.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07176-01-5
S. 3447 2
1 8. Federal incarcerated individuals will be billed directly to the
2 jurisdiction which was agreed to by the federal agency. Subsequently
3 federal boarders will not be assessed co-payment if that jurisdiction is
4 paying the department a specific per diem to house each incarcerated
5 individual.
6 9. All moneys collected pursuant to this section will be made avail-
7 able for the operation of the correctional facility.
8 10. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary
9 for the implementation of the provisions of this section.
10 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
11 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
12 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
13 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
14 completed on or before such effective date.
