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A01535 Summary:

BILL NOA01535
 
SAME ASSAME AS S03937
 
SPONSORJenne
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd §§2999-cc & 4406-g, Pub Health L; amd §§1117, 3217-h, 3229 & 4306-g, Ins L
 
Provides for the delivery and insurance coverage of telehealth services by means of home care services.
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A01535 Actions:

BILL NOA01535
 
01/12/2017referred to health
01/03/2018referred to health
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A01535 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          1535
 
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 12, 2017
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. JENNE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Health
 
        AN ACT to amend the public health law and the insurance law, in relation
          to the provision of telehealth services
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1. Subdivision 4 of section 2999-cc of the public health law,
     2  as added by chapter 6 of the  laws  of  2015,  is  amended  to  read  as
     3  follows:
     4    4.  "Telehealth"  means the use of electronic information and communi-
     5  cation technologies by  telehealth  providers  to  deliver  health  care
     6  services,  which  shall include the assessment, diagnosis, consultation,
     7  treatment,  education,  care  management  and/or  self-management  of  a
     8  patient.  Telehealth  shall not include delivery of health care services
     9  by means of audio-only telephone communication, facsimile  machines,  or
    10  electronic  messaging  alone,  though  use  of these technologies is not
    11  precluded if used in conjunction with telemedicine,  store  and  forward
    12  technology,  or remote patient monitoring. For purposes of this section,
    13  telehealth shall be limited to telemedicine, store and forward technolo-
    14  gy, and remote patient monitoring. This subdivision shall  not  preclude
    15  or  in  any  way  limit the delivery of health care services by means of
    16  "home telehealth" as used in section thirty-six hundred fourteen of this
    17  chapter. Health services, defined  as  "home  care  services"  requiring
    18  licensure  or  certification  under  article thirty-six of this chapter,
    19  delivered via telehealth as set forth in this subdivision or in  section
    20  thirty-six hundred fourteen of this chapter shall be delivered solely by
    21  a provider licensed, certified or exempt under such article.
    22    §  2.  Paragraph  3 of subsection (b) of section 1117 of the insurance
    23  law, as amended by chapter 572 of the laws of 2008, is amended  to  read
    24  as follows:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06615-01-7

        A. 1535                             2
 
     1    (3) the plan's benefit structure provides options for use of long term
     2  care services, including telehealth as provided for in subparagraphs (A)
     3  and (B) of this paragraph.
     4    (A) a plan shall not exclude from coverage a service that is otherwise
     5  covered  under the plan because the service is delivered via telehealth,
     6  as that term is defined in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph; provided,
     7  however, that an insurer may exclude from coverage a service by a health
     8  care provider where the provider is  not  otherwise  covered  under  the
     9  enrollee  contract.  An  insurer  may  subject the coverage of a service
    10  delivered via telehealth  to  co-payments,  coinsurance  or  deductibles
    11  provided  that  they  are at least as favorable to the enrollee as those
    12  established for the same service when not delivered via  telehealth.  An
    13  insurer  may  subject the coverage of a service delivered via telehealth
    14  to reasonable utilization management and quality assurance  requirements
    15  that are consistent with those established for the same service when not
    16  delivered via telehealth;
    17    (B)  for  purposes  of  this  paragraph, "telehealth" means the use of
    18  electronic information and communication technologies by a  health  care
    19  provider  to deliver health care services to an insured individual while
    20  such individual is located at a site that is  different  from  the  site
    21  where the health care provider is located;
    22    §  3.  Subsection (a) of section 3217-h of the insurance law, as added
    23  by chapter 6 of the laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:
    24    (a) An insurer shall not exclude  from  coverage  a  service  that  is
    25  otherwise  covered  under  a policy that provides comprehensive coverage
    26  for hospital, medical or surgical care because the service is  delivered
    27  via  telehealth,  as  that  term  is  defined  in subsection (b) of this
    28  section; provided, however, that an insurer may exclude from coverage  a
    29  service  by  a  health care provider where the provider is not otherwise
    30  covered under the policy. An insurer  may  subject  the  coverage  of  a
    31  service  delivered via telehealth to co-payments, coinsurance or deduct-
    32  ibles provided that they are at least as favorable  to  the  insured  as
    33  those  established  for  the  same  service when not delivered via tele-
    34  health. An insurer may subject the coverage of a service  delivered  via
    35  telehealth  to  reasonable  utilization management and quality assurance
    36  requirements that are consistent with those  established  for  the  same
    37  service when not delivered via telehealth. Remote patient monitoring via
    38  telehealth  delivered  by a home care agency certified or licensed under
    39  article thirty-six of the public health law shall not be construed as  a
    40  "visit"  under any visit number limitation that a policy may contain for
    41  home care visits by a home care services agency.
    42    § 4. Paragraph 2 of subsection (a) of section 3229  of  the  insurance
    43  law,  as  amended by chapter 6 of the laws of 2015, is amended and a new
    44  paragraph 2-a is added to read as follows:
    45    (2) a home care benefit with personal care, nursing  care,  adult  day
    46  health  care  and respite care services, which shall provide total bene-
    47  fits in an amount  determined  by  regulations  of  the  superintendent;
    48  provided  however  that  an  insurer  shall  not exclude from coverage a
    49  service that is otherwise covered under the policy because  the  service
    50  is  delivered  via telehealth as that term is defined in paragraph two-a
    51  of this subsection, provided, further, that an insurer may exclude  from
    52  coverage  a  service by a health care provider where the provider is not
    53  otherwise covered under the enrollee contract. An  insurer  may  subject
    54  the coverage of a service delivered via telehealth to co-payments, coin-
    55  surance,  or deductibles provided that they are at least as favorable to
    56  the enrollee as those established for the same service when  not  deliv-

        A. 1535                             3
 
     1  ered  via  telehealth.  An insurer may subject the coverage of a service
     2  delivered via telehealth to reasonable utilization management and quali-
     3  ty assurance requirements that are consistent with those established for
     4  the same service when not delivered via telehealth;
     5    (2-a)  for  purposes of paragraph two of this subsection, "telehealth"
     6  means the use of electronic information and  communication  technologies
     7  by  a health care provider to deliver health care services to an insured
     8  individual while such individual is located at a site that is  different
     9  from the site where the health care provider is located;
    10    §  5.  Subsection (a) of section 4306-g of the insurance law, as added
    11  by chapter 6 of the laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:
    12    (a) A corporation shall not exclude from coverage a  service  that  is
    13  otherwise  covered under a contract that provides comprehensive coverage
    14  for hospital, medical or surgical care because the service is  delivered
    15  via  telehealth,  as  that  term  is  defined  in subsection (b) of this
    16  section; provided, however, that a corporation may exclude from coverage
    17  a service by a health care provider where the provider is not  otherwise
    18  covered under the contract.  A corporation may subject the coverage of a
    19  service  delivered via telehealth to co-payments, coinsurance or deduct-
    20  ibles provided that they are at least as favorable  to  the  insured  as
    21  those  established  for  the  same  service when not delivered via tele-
    22  health. A corporation may subject the coverage of  a  service  delivered
    23  via  telehealth  to reasonable utilization management and quality assur-
    24  ance requirements that are consistent with  those  established  for  the
    25  same  service when not delivered via telehealth. Remote patient monitor-
    26  ing via telehealth delivered by a home care agency certified or licensed
    27  under article thirty-six of the public health law shall not be construed
    28  as a "visit" under any visit number limitation that a policy may contain
    29  for home care visits by a home care services agency.
    30    § 6. Subdivision 1 of section 4406-g of  the  public  health  law,  as
    31  added by chapter 6 of the laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:
    32    1. A health maintenance organization shall not exclude from coverage a
    33  service that is otherwise covered under an enrollee contract of a health
    34  maintenance  organization  because  the  service  is delivered via tele-
    35  health, as that term is defined in  subdivision  two  of  this  section;
    36  provided,  however,  that  a health maintenance organization may exclude
    37  from coverage a service by a health care provider where the provider  is
    38  not  otherwise covered under the enrollee contract. A health maintenance
    39  organization may subject the coverage of a service delivered  via  tele-
    40  health to co-payments, coinsurance or deductibles provided that they are
    41  at  least as favorable to the enrollee as those established for the same
    42  service when not delivered via telehealth. A health  maintenance  organ-
    43  ization  may  subject the coverage of a service delivered via telehealth
    44  to reasonable utilization management and quality assurance  requirements
    45  that are consistent with those established for the same service when not
    46  delivered  via  telehealth.  Remote  patient  monitoring  via telehealth
    47  delivered by a home care agency  certified  or  licensed  under  article
    48  thirty-six of this chapter shall not be construed as a "visit" under any
    49  visit  number  limitation that a policy may contain for home care visits
    50  by a home care services agency.
    51    § 7. This act shall take effect immediately.
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