Requires any insurer or organization offering health insurance contracts to allow the enrollment of an individual who is pregnant; provides that such coverage shall begin on the date of application.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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5686--A
Cal. No. 1117
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 27, 2015
___________
Introduced by Sens. SEWARD, HANNON, KRUEGER, BONACIC, HAMILTON, LARKIN,
PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be
committed to the Committee on Insurance -- reported favorably from
said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third
reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the
order of third reading
AN ACT to amend the insurance law and the public health law, in relation
to enrollment during pregnancy
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 3217-c of the insurance law is amended by adding a
2 new subsection (d) to read as follows:
3 (d) An insurer, a corporation organized pursuant to article forty-
4 three of this chapter, a municipal cooperative health benefit plan
5 certified pursuant to article forty-seven of this chapter, a student
6 health plan established or maintained pursuant to section one thousand
7 one hundred twenty-four of this chapter, or licensed maintenance organ-
8 ization under article forty-four of the public health law, that issues a
9 health insurance policy or contract that provides eligibility for a
10 special enrollment period shall allow for the enrollment of a pregnant
11 individual at any time after the commencement of the pregnancy, as
12 certified by a health care practitioner licensed pursuant to title eight
13 of the education law acting within the scope of his or her practice.
14 Upon enrollment, coverage shall be deemed to have been in effect as of
15 the date of application.
16 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2507 to
17 read as follows:
18 § 2507. Special enrollment; pregnancy. An insurer, a corporation
19 organized pursuant to article forty-three of the insurance law, a munic-
20 ipal cooperative health benefit plan certified pursuant to article
21 forty-seven of the insurance law, a student health plan established or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11356-02-5
S. 5686--A 2
1 maintained pursuant to section one thousand one hundred twenty-four of
2 the insurance law, or licensed maintenance organization under article
3 forty-four of this chapter, that issues a health insurance policy or
4 contract that provides eligibility for a special enrollment period shall
5 allow for the enrollment of a pregnant individual at any time after the
6 commencement of the pregnancy, as certified by a health care practition-
7 er licensed pursuant to title eight of the education law, acting within
8 his or her scope of practice. Upon such enrollment, any qualified health
9 plan in the state health insurance exchange shall ensure that coverage
10 is effective on the date of application.
11 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
12 ing the date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply to all
13 qualified health plans issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on
14 or after such effective date; provided, however, that effective imme-
15 diately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation
16 necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are
17 authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before such
18 effective date.
