S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
10576
I N A S S E M B L Y
May 7, 2018
___________
Introduced by M. of A. JEAN-PIERRE -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to requiring certain
health insurance policies to include coverage for the cost of certain
infant and baby formulas
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Paragraph 21 of subsection (i) of section 3216 of the
insurance law, as amended by chapter 388 of the laws of 2013, is amended
to read as follows:
(21) Every policy which provides coverage for prescription drugs shall
include coverage for the cost of enteral, INFANT AND BABY formulas for
home use, whether administered orally or via tube feeding, for which a
physician or other licensed health care provider legally authorized to
prescribe under title eight of the education law has issued a written
order. Such written order shall state that the enteral, INFANT AND BABY
formula is clearly medically necessary and has been proven effective as
a disease-specific treatment regimen for those individuals who are or
will become malnourished or suffer from disorders, which if left
untreated, cause chronic physical disability, mental retardation or
death. Specific diseases for which enteral, INFANT AND BABY formulas
have been proven effective shall include, but are not limited to, inher-
ited diseases of amino acid or organic acid metabolism; Crohn's Disease;
gastroesophageal reflux with failure to thrive; disorders of gastroin-
testinal motility such as chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction; and
multiple, severe food allergies which if left untreated will cause maln-
ourishment, chronic physical disability, mental retardation or death.
Enteral, INFANT AND BABY formulas which are medically necessary and
taken under written order from a physician for the treatment of specific
diseases shall be distinguished from nutritional supplements taken elec-
tively. Coverage for certain inherited diseases of amino acid and organ-
ic acid metabolism shall include modified solid food products that are
low protein or which contain modified protein which are medically neces-
sary, and such coverage for such modified solid food products for any
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07096-01-7
A. 10576 2
calendar year or for any continuous period of twelve months for any
insured individual shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars.
COVERAGE FOR INFANT AND BABY FORMULAS FOR ANY CALENDAR YEAR OR ANY
CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF TWELVE MONTHS FOR ANY INSURED INDIVIDUAL SHALL BE
NO LESS THAN THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
§ 2. Paragraph 11 of subsection (k) of section 3221 of the insurance
law, as amended by chapter 388 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read
as follows:
(11) Every policy which provides coverage for prescription drugs shall
include coverage for the cost of enteral, INFANT AND BABY formulas for
home use, whether administered orally or via tube feeding, for which a
physician or other licensed health care provider legally authorized to
prescribe under title eight of the education law has issued a written
order. Such written order shall state that the enteral, INFANT AND BABY
formula is clearly medically necessary and has been proven effective as
a disease-specific treatment regimen for those individuals who are or
will become malnourished or suffer from disorders, which if left
untreated, cause chronic physical disability, mental retardation or
death. Specific diseases for which enteral, INFANT AND BABY formulas
have been proven effective shall include, but are not limited to, inher-
ited diseases of amino-acid or organic acid metabolism; Crohn's Disease;
gastroesophageal reflux with failure to thrive; disorders of gastroin-
testinal motility such as chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction; and
multiple, severe food allergies which if left untreated will cause maln-
ourishment, chronic physical disability, mental retardation or death.
Enteral, INFANT AND BABY formulas which are medically necessary and
taken under written order from a physician for the treatment of specific
diseases shall be distinguished from nutritional supplements taken elec-
tively. Coverage for certain inherited diseases of amino acid and organ-
ic acid metabolism shall include modified solid food products that are
low protein or which contain modified protein which are medically neces-
sary, and such coverage for such modified solid food products for any
calendar year or for any continuous period of twelve months for any
insured individual shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars.
COVERAGE FOR INFANT AND BABY FORMULAS FOR ANY CALENDAR YEAR OR ANY
CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF TWELVE MONTHS FOR ANY INSURED INDIVIDUAL SHALL BE
NO LESS THAN THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
§ 3. Subsection (y) of section 4303 of the insurance law, as amended
by chapter 388 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
(y) Every contract which provides coverage for prescription drugs
shall include coverage for the cost of enteral, INFANT AND BABY formulas
for home use, whether administered orally or via tube feeding, for which
a physician or other licensed health care provider legally authorized to
prescribe under title eight of the education law has issued a written
order. Such written order shall state that the enteral, INFANT AND BABY
formula is clearly medically necessary and has been proven effective as
a disease-specific treatment regimen for those individuals who are or
will become malnourished or suffer from disorders, which if left
untreated, cause chronic disability, mental retardation or death.
Specific diseases for which enteral, INFANT AND BABY formulas have been
proven effective shall include, but are not limited to, inherited
diseases of amino-acid or organic acid metabolism; Crohn's Disease;
gastroesophageal reflux with failure to thrive; disorders of gastroin-
testinal motility such as chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction; and
multiple, severe food allergies which if left untreated will cause maln-
ourishment, chronic physical disability, mental retardation or death.
A. 10576 3
Enteral, INFANT AND BABY formulas which are medically necessary and
taken under written order from a physician for the treatment of specific
diseases shall be distinguished from nutritional supplements taken elec-
tively. Coverage for certain inherited diseases of amino acid and organ-
ic acid metabolism shall include modified solid food products that are
low protein, or which contain modified protein which are medically
necessary, and such coverage for such modified solid food products for
any calendar year or for any continuous period of twelve months for any
insured individual shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars.
COVERAGE FOR INFANT AND BABY FORMULAS FOR ANY CALENDAR YEAR OR ANY
CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF TWELVE MONTHS FOR ANY INSURED INDIVIDUAL SHALL BE
NO LESS THAN THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
§ 4. The opening paragraph of paragraph 25 of subsection (b) of
section 4322 of the insurance law, as amended by chapter 388 of the laws
of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
Prescription drugs, OBTAINED AT A PARTICIPATING PHARMACY UNDER A
PRESCRIPTION WRITTEN BY AN IN-PLAN OR OUT-OF-PLAN PROVIDER, including
contraceptive drugs or devices approved by the federal food and drug
administration or generic equivalents approved as substitutes by such
food and drug administration [and], nutritional supplements (formulas),
whether administered orally or via a feeding tube for the therapeutic
treatment of phenylketonuria, branched-chain ketonuria, galactosemia and
homocystinuria[, obtained at a participating pharmacy under a
prescription written by an in-plan or out-of-plan provider] AND INFANT
AND BABY FORMULAS FOR HOME USE FOR WHICH A PHYSICIAN OR OTHER LICENSED
HEALTH CARE PROVIDER LEGALLY AUTHORIZED TO PRESCRIBE UNDER TITLE EIGHT
OF THE EDUCATION LAW HAS ISSUED A WRITTEN ORDER. SUCH WRITTEN ORDER
SHALL STATE THAT THE INFANT OR BABY FORMULA IS CLEARLY MEDICALLY NECES-
SARY AND HAS BEEN PROVEN EFFECTIVE AS A DISEASE-SPECIFIC TREATMENT REGI-
MEN FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE OR WILL BECOME MALNOURISHED OR SUFFER
FROM DISORDERS, WHICH IF LEFT UNTREATED, CAUSE CHRONIC PHYSICAL DISABIL-
ITY, MENTAL RETARDATION OR DEATH. SPECIFIC DISEASES FOR WHICH INFANT AND
BABY FORMULAS HAVE BEEN PROVEN EFFECTIVE SHALL INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT
LIMITED TO, INHERITED DISEASES OF AMINO ACID OR ORGANIC ACID METABOLISM;
CROHN'S DISEASE; GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX WITH FAILURE TO THRIVE; DISOR-
DERS OF GASTROINTESTINAL MOTILITY SUCH AS CHRONIC INTESTINAL PSEUDO-OB-
STRUCTION; AND MULTIPLE, SEVERE FOOD ALLERGIES WHICH IF LEFT UNTREATED
WILL CAUSE MALNOURISHMENT, CHRONIC PHYSICAL DISABILITY, MENTAL RETARDA-
TION OR DEATH. INFANT AND BABY FORMULAS WHICH ARE MEDICALLY NECESSARY
AND TAKEN UNDER WRITTEN ORDER FROM A PHYSICIAN FOR THE TREATMENT OF
SPECIFIC DISEASES SHALL BE DISTINGUISHED FROM NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
TAKEN ELECTIVELY. COVERAGE FOR INFANT AND BABY FORMULAS FOR ANY CALENDAR
YEAR OR ANY CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF TWELVE MONTHS FOR ANY INSURED INDIVID-
UAL SHALL BE NO LESS THAN THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Health maintenance
organizations, in addition to providing coverage for prescription drugs
at a participating pharmacy, may utilize a mail order prescription drug
program. Health maintenance organizations may provide prescription drugs
pursuant to a drug formulary; however, health maintenance organizations
must implement an appeals process so that the use of non-formulary
prescription drugs may be requested by a physician or other provider.
§ 5. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
ing the date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply to all
policies and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered, or amended on
or after such date.