Assembly Bill A6314

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to ensuring continued access to backup devices for patients with cochlear implants

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Assembly 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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2025-A6314 (ACTIVE) - Details

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

2025-A6314 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires insurance coverage for cochlear implants and backup devices during the initial implantation and for replacements and upgrades.

2025-A6314 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6314
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               March 4, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. WIEDER -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Insurance
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the insurance law, in relation to ensuring continued
   access to backup devices for patients with cochlear implants
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Legislative  intent.  The legislature finds that cochlear
 implants are critical for patients with hearing  loss  to  maintain  the
 ability  to  hear.  These  devices, which are often life-changing, allow
 individuals to improve their quality of life, integrate fully into their
 communities, and perform daily activities. It is essential that individ-
 uals who rely on cochlear implants have continuous access to the  neces-
 sary  backup  equipment  to  ensure  uninterrupted use, including during
 device upgrades and replacements. Currently, backup devices are provided
 only with the initial  implantation,  but  are  not  made  available  to
 patients upon the upgrade or replacement of the implant after 3-5 years.
 This  bill  seeks  to  address  this gap in coverage and ensure that all
 patients requiring cochlear implants  have  a  backup  device  available
 throughout the duration of their treatment.
   § 2. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is amended by
 adding a new paragraph 41 to read as follows:
   (41)  (A) EVERY POLICY WHICH PROVIDES MEDICAL, MAJOR MEDICAL, OR SIMI-
 LAR COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE COVERAGE SHALL PROVIDE THE COVERAGE FOR  COCHLEAR
 IMPLANTS  AND  FOR A BACKUP COCHLEAR IMPLANT DEVICE WHEN PRESCRIBED BY A
 HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER LICENSED, CERTIFIED, OR AUTHORIZED UNDER  TITLE
 EIGHT  OF  THE  EDUCATION  LAW,  AND ACTING WITHIN THEIR LAWFUL SCOPE OF
 PRACTICE AND FOR A BACKUP DEVICE.
   (B) A PATIENT RECEIVING  AN  UPGRADE  OR  REPLACEMENT  OF  A  COCHLEAR
 IMPLANT  DEVICE  SHALL BE PROVIDED WITH A BACKUP DEVICE CORRESPONDING TO
 THE REPLACEMENT OR UPGRADE DEVICE. THE BACKUP DEVICE SHALL  BE  PROVIDED
 AS  LONG  AS THE PATIENT IS ACTIVELY USING THE COCHLEAR IMPLANT, AND FOR
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10291-01-5

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