Requires insurance policies to provide coverage for services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments; makes related provisions.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8511
IN SENATE
May 9, 2018
___________
Introduced by Sen. VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage for services
related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional
disorders or ailments
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is
2 amended by adding a new paragraph 35 to read as follows:
3 (35) Every policy that provides medical, major medical or similar
4 comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for services related
5 to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders
6 or ailments, including but not limited to biologically based mental
7 illnesses as defined by subparagraph (B) of paragraph five of subsection
8 (l) of section three thousand two hundred twenty-one of this chapter and
9 children with serious emotional disturbances as defined by subparagraph
10 (C) of paragraph five of subsection (l) of section three thousand two
11 hundred twenty-one of this chapter, in a psychiatric center under the
12 jurisdiction of the office of mental health or other psychiatric in-pa-
13 tient facility in the department, and a psychiatric in-patient facility
14 maintained by a political subdivision of the state for the care or
15 treatment of the mentally ill. Coverage required under this paragraph
16 must by at least equal to coverage provided in such policy for the diag-
17 nosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or
18 ailments with no additional cost sharing.
19 § 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by
20 adding a new paragraph 5-a to read as follows:
21 (5-a) Every policy that provides medical, major medical or similar
22 comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for services related
23 to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders
24 or ailments, including but not limited to biologically based mental
25 illnesses as defined by subparagraph (B) of paragraph five of this
26 subsection and children with serious emotional disturbances as defined
27 by subparagraph (C) of paragraph five of this subsection, in a psychiat-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10243-03-8
S. 8511 2
1 ric center under the jurisdiction of the office of mental health or
2 other psychiatric in-patient facility in the department, and a psychiat-
3 ric in-patient facility maintained by a political subdivision of the
4 state for the care or treatment of the mentally ill. Coverage required
5 under this paragraph must be at least equal to coverage provided in such
6 policy for the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional
7 disorders or ailments with no additional cost sharing.
8 § 3. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new
9 subsection (g-1) to read as follows:
10 (g-1) Every contract that provides medical, major medical or similar
11 comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for services related
12 to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders
13 or ailments, including but not limited to biologically based mental
14 illnesses as defined by subparagraph (B) of paragraph two of subsection
15 (g) of this section and children with serious emotional disturbances as
16 defined by paragraph three of subsection (g) of this section, in a
17 psychiatric center under the jurisdiction of the office of mental health
18 or other psychiatric in-patient facility in the department, and a
19 psychiatric in-patient facility maintained by a political subdivision of
20 the state for the care or treatment of the mentally ill. Coverage
21 required under this paragraph must be at least equal to coverage
22 provided in such policy for the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nerv-
23 ous or emotional disorders or ailments with no additional cost sharing.
24 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any
25 policy issued, delivered, renewed, and/or modified on or after the
26 effective date of this act.