NY State Senate Bill 2011-S2172

Senate Bill S2172

2011-2012 Legislative Session

Provides for cost of living and marriage penalty adjustments to eligibility standards for the program for elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 17, 2012	reported and committed to finance
Jan 04, 2012	referred to aging
Jan 24, 2011	reported and committed to finance
Jan 18, 2011	referred to aging

Votes

- Apr 17, 2012 - Aging Committee Vote
  S2172
  
  11
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  1
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Aging Committee Vote: Apr 17, 2012
      
      aye (11)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      Avella
      
      Ball
      
      Diaz
      
      Farley
      
      Golden
      
      Hassell-Thompson
      
      LaValle
      
      Robach
      
      Valesky
      
      Zeldin
      
      aye wr (1)
      
      Stavisky
  Jan 24, 2011 - Aging Committee Vote
  S2172
  
  10
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  2
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Aging Committee Vote: Jan 24, 2011
      
      aye (10)
      
      Avella
      
      Ball
      
      Diaz
      
      Farley
      
      Golden
      
      Grisanti
      
      Kruger
      
      Robach
      
      Stavisky
      
      Zeldin
      
      aye wr (2)
      
      Addabbo Jr.
      
      LaValle

co-Sponsors

View additional co-sponsors

2011-S2172 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A4136
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Elder Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §254, Eld L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: S2750, A3697
2013-2014: A5050
2015-2016: A2609
2017-2018: A1363
2019-2020: A2065

2011-S2172 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides for cost-of-living and marriage penalty adjustments to eligibility standards for the program for elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage.

2011-S2172 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S2172

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the elder law, in relation to cost of living and marriage
penalty adjustments to eligibility standards for the program for elderly
pharmaceutical insurance coverage

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF THE BILL:
To eliminate the marriage penalty currently existing in the schedules
for EPIC registration fees and personal covered drug expenditures
(deductions).

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
The bill amends section 254 of the elder law (EPIC) by renumbering the
current subsections 1 and 2 for cost of living adjustments as 1(a)
and 1(b), and adding a new subsection 2. Marriage penalty adjustment,
which directs the elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage panel
(consisting of the commissioners of the departments of education
and health, the superintendent of insurance, and the directors of the
state office for the aging and the division of the budget) to adjust
registration fees as follows: first, joint income for a married couple
is defined to mean income divided by two; and second, the panel is
directed to set quarterly registration fees and deductibles for
married couples at a level that is no greater than the fees and
deductibles for individuals of comparable income.

JUSTIFICATION:
Current EPIC schedules for registration fee and deductible assume
that a married couple has greater resources than a single person, but
with the rising costs of drugs, it is no longer true--if it ever
was--that two can pay medical costs, when all other bills are
accounted for, as cheaply as one. This legislation recognizes the
important role played in the setting of fees and deductibles by the
EPIC panel, and uses that mechanism to require adjustments.

The current fee and deductible schedule produce on average, fees for
married that are 150%-200% more than fees for singles, and
deductibles that, on average and where comparable, are 160% - 165%
more than singles.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2009-2010 - S.2750 - Aging, Finance
2005-2006 - S.2971 - Aging, Finance
2007-2008 - S.118 -  Aging, Finance

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
April 1, after it becomes law.

2011-S2172 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  2172

                       2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 18, 2011
                               ___________

Introduced by Sens. GOLDEN, BONACIC, DeFRANCISCO, HANNON, RANZENHOFER --
  read  twice  and  ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
  the Committee on Aging

AN ACT to amend the elder  law,  in  relation  to  cost  of  living  and
  marriage  penalty adjustments to eligibility standards for the program
  for elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Section 254 of the elder law is amended to read as follows:
  S  254.  ADJUSTMENTS.  1.  Cost  of living adjustment. [1.] (A) Within
amounts appropriated, the panel shall  adjust  the  program  eligibility
standards  set forth in subdivision two of section two hundred forty-two
of this title to account for increases in the cost of living.
  [2.] (B) The panel shall further adjust individual  and  joint  income
categories set forth in subdivisions two and four of section two hundred
forty-eight of this title to conform to the adjustments made pursuant to
THIS subdivision [one of this section].
  2.  MARRIAGE  PENALTY  ADJUSTMENT.    THE  PANEL  SHALL FURTHER ADJUST
INCOME, REGISTRATION FEES, DEDUCTIBLES, AND OTHER PROGRAM COMPONENTS  TO
ELIMINATE THE EPIC MARRIAGE PENALTY, AS FOLLOWS:
  (A)  FOR PURPOSES OF SUBDIVISIONS TWO AND FOUR OF SECTIONS TWO HUNDRED
FORTY-SEVEN AND TWO HUNDRED FORTY-EIGHT  OF  THIS  TITLE,  JOINT  INCOME
SHALL  BE  DEFINED  AS  INCOME,  AS  SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN SECTION TWO
HUNDRED FORTY-ONE OF THIS TITLE AND AS ADJUSTED PURSUANT TO  SUBDIVISION
ONE OF THIS ACTION, DIVIDED BY TWO.
  (B) THE QUARTERLY REGISTRATION FEE ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO
HUNDRED  FORTY-SEVEN  OF  THIS  TITLE,  AND  THE LIMITS ON POINT OF SALE
CO-PAYMENTS ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FOUR OF SUCH SECTION, AS
SUCH ITEMS MAY BE OR HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED BY THE PANEL PURSUANT TO  SUBDI-
VISION  ONE OF THIS SECTION AND OTHER SECTIONS OF THIS CHAPTER, FOR EACH
MARRIED INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM PARTICIPANT SHALL BE SET AT A LEVEL  THAT  IS

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD04202-01-1

S. 2172                             2

NOT  GREATER  THAN THE QUARTERLY REGISTRATION FEE AND THE LIMIT ON POINT
OF SALE CO-PAYMENTS FOR UNMARRIED INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS  WHOSE
INCOME  EQUALS JOINT INCOME AS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVI-
SION.
  (C)  THE  ANNUAL  PERSONAL  COVERED DRUG EXPENDITURES FOR EACH MARRIED
INDIVIDUAL ELIGIBLE PROGRAM PARTICIPANT ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO  SECTION
TWO  HUNDRED FORTY-EIGHT OF THIS TITLE AS ADJUSTED BY THE PANEL PURSUANT
TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION AND OTHER SECTIONS OF  THIS  CHAPTER,
SHALL  BE  SET  BY  THE  PANEL  AT  A LEVEL WHICH IS NO GREATER THAN THE
PERSONAL COVERED DRUG EXPENDITURES  FOR  UNMARRIED  INDIVIDUAL  ELIGIBLE
PROGRAM  PARTICIPANTS  WHOSE INCOME, AS ADJUSTED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION
ONE OF THIS SECTION, EQUALS JOINT INCOME AS ADJUSTED PURSUANT  TO  PARA-
GRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
  (D)  THE  LIMITS  ON POINT OF SALE CO-PAYMENTS ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO
SUBDIVISION FOUR OF SECTIONS TWO HUNDRED  FORTY-SEVEN  AND  TWO  HUNDRED
FORTY-EIGHT OF THIS TITLE, AS ADJUSTED BY THE PANEL PURSUANT TO SUBDIVI-
SION  ONE  OF  THIS SECTION AND OTHER SECTIONS OF THIS CHAPTER, FOR EACH
MARRIED INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM PARTICIPANT SHALL BE SET AT A LEVEL  THAT  IS
NO  GREATER  THAN  THE  LIMIT ON POINT OF SALE CO-PAYMENTS FOR UNMARRIED
INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS WHOSE  INCOME  EQUALS  JOINT  INCOME  AS
DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
  (E)  THE PANEL SHALL MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS REQUIRED BY THIS SUBDIVISION
ON A FOUR-YEAR SCHEDULE WHICH IT SHALL ADOPT AFTER CONSULTATION WITH THE
DIVISION OF THE BUDGET BEGINNING WITH THE FISCAL  YEAR  NEXT  SUCCEEDING
THE DATE ON WHICH THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL HAVE BECOME EFFECTIVE.
  S  2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
the date on which it shall have become a law.

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