Requires that medicaid and health insurance plans provide coverage for costs of prescription smoking cessation treatment that is ordered by a physician; establishes a coverage limit of $400 for each covered individual.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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2884--A
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 29, 2015
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Introduced by Sens. KRUEGER, PERKINS -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance --
recommitted to the Committee on Insurance in accordance with Senate
Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage for treatment
of smoking cessation
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a
2 new subsection (oo) to read as follows:
3 (oo) A hospital service corporation or a health service corporation
4 which provides group, group remittance or school blanket coverage for
5 inpatient hospital care shall provide coverage for costs of prescription
6 smoking cessation treatment that is ordered by a physician. Such treat-
7 ment may be limited to four hundred dollars per year for each covered
8 individual. This provision shall not apply to a contract issued pursuant
9 to section four thousand three hundred five of this article which covers
10 persons employed in more than one state or the benefit structure of
11 which was the subject of collective bargaining affecting persons who are
12 employed in more than one state. Such coverage may be subject to annual
13 deductibles and co-insurance as may be deemed appropriate by the super-
14 intendent and are consistent with those imposed on other benefits within
15 a given policy. Such coverage shall not replace, restrict or eliminate
16 existing coverage provided by the policy.
17 § 2. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is amended by
18 adding a new paragraph 33 to read as follows:
19 (33) Every policy shall provide coverage for costs of prescription
20 smoking cessation treatment that is ordered by a physician. Such cover-
21 age may be limited to four hundred dollars per year for each covered
22 individual.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03348-03-6
S. 2884--A 2
1 § 3. Subsection (1) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by
2 adding a new paragraph 19 to read as follows:
3 (19) Every group or blanket policy delivered or issued for delivery in
4 this state which provides hospital, surgical or medical coverage shall
5 provide coverage for costs of prescription smoking cessation treatment
6 that is ordered by a physician. Such coverage may be limited to four
7 hundred dollars for each covered individual.
8 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
9 it shall have become a law and shall apply to all policies and contracts
10 issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such date;
11 except that any rules and regulations necessary to implement the
12 provisions of this act are authorized and directed to be promulgated,
13 amended or repealed on or before such effective date.
