NY State Senate Bill 2023-S6818

Senate Bill S6818

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Includes individuals treated with opioid partial agonist treatment medication as being in an opioid treatment program for the purposes of certain insurance coverage and co-payments

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Insurance 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
Jan 03, 2024	referred to insurance
May 10, 2023	referred to insurance

2023-S6818 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Insurance
Law Section:: Insurance Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§3216, 3221 & 4303, Ins L

2023-S6818 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Includes individuals treated with opioid partial agonist treatment medication as being in an opioid treatment program for the purposes of certain insurance coverage and co-payments.

2023-S6818 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6818

SPONSOR: FERNANDEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to including individuals
treated with opioid partial agonist treatment medication as being in an
opioid treatment program for the purposes of certain insurance coverage
and co-payments

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill relates to prohibiting co-payments for treatment at an opioid
treatment program during course of treatment using opioid partial agon-
ists.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Sections 1-4 amends the insurance law by prohibiting co-payments for
opioid partial agonist treatments.

Section four sets forth the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Private insurance plans, including plans available under the Affordable
Care Act, require co-pays to be collected every time a patient visits an
Opioid Treatment Program (OTP). This requirement does not take into
account the frequency of patient visits, and creates a barrier to OTP
treatment services. At the start of treatment, patients are required by
federal law to receive treatment up to 6 times a week for 90 days. Once
those 90 days are up, many patients continue to seek treatment several
times a week. Requiring daily co-pays under these circumstances becomes
cost-prohibitive for people seeking treatment. Prohibiting co-payments
for treatment at an OTP will help all New Yorkers in need to gain access
to potentially lifesaving services.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to policies and
contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on and after
such date.

2023-S6818 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6818
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 10, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- 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 including individuals
   treated with opioid partial agonist treatment medication as  being  in
   an  opioid  treatment  program  for  the purposes of certain insurance
   coverage and co-payments
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph  31-b  of subsection (i) of section 3216 of the
 insurance law, as added by chapter 734 of the laws of 2022,  is  amended
 to read as follows:
   (31-b)  Every policy that provides coverage for treatment at an opioid
 treatment program shall not impose a co-payment fee during the course of
 treatment on any insured for such treatment. For the  purposes  of  this
 section  "opioid  treatment  program"  means  a  program or practitioner
 engaged in opioid treatment of individuals with  an  opioid  agonist  OR
 OPIOID PARTIAL AGONIST treatment medication.
   §  2. Paragraph 7-b of subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance
 law, as added by chapter 734 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read  as
 follows:
   (7-b)  Every  policy that provides coverage for treatment at an opioid
 treatment program shall not impose a co-payment fee during the course of
 treatment on any insured for such treatment. For the  purposes  of  this
 section  "opioid  treatment  program"  means  a  program or practitioner
 engaged in opioid treatment of individuals with  an  opioid  agonist  OR
 OPIOID PARTIAL AGONIST treatment medication.
   §  3.  Subsection (l-2) of section 4303 of the insurance law, as added
 by chapter 734 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
   (l-2) Every policy that provides coverage for treatment at  an  opioid
 treatment program shall not impose a co-payment fee during the course of
 treatment  on  any  insured for such treatment. For the purposes of this

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10907-01-3

 S. 6818                             2
 
 section "opioid treatment  program"  means  a  program  or  practitioner
 engaged  in  opioid  treatment  of individuals with an opioid agonist OR
 OPIOID PARTIAL AGONIST treatment medication.
   §  4.  This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to poli-
 cies and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on  and
 after such date.

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