NY State Senate Bill 2025-S1792

Senate Bill S1792

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires insurance companies to provide at least ninety days of rehabilitation services to an insured upon a doctor's prescription

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

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 13, 2025	referred to insurance

2025-S1792 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2037
Current Committee:: Senate Insurance
Law Section:: Insurance Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§3216, 3221 & 4303, Ins L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: A9211
2017-2018: A492
2019-2020: A1163
2021-2022: A3654
2023-2024: S7010, A5436

2025-S1792 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires insurance companies to provide at least ninety days of rehabilitation services to an insured upon a doctor's prescription.

2025-S1792 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S1792

SPONSOR: FERNANDEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to insurance coverage for
substance abuse disorder services

 
PURPOSE OF BILL:

To require insurance companies to provide at least 90 days of inpatient
rehabilitation services to an insured upon a doctor's referred.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section I. Amends the Insurance Law to provide an individual accident
policy offering medical coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of
substance use disorder shall include coverage for at least ninety days
at an inpatient rehabilitation facility when by a doctor.

Section 2. Amends the Insurance Law to provide that group or blanket
accident and health insurance policies providing medical coverage for

the diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorder shall include
coverage for at least ninety days at an inpatient rehabilitation facili-
ty when referred by a doctor.

Section 3. Amends the Insurance Law to provide that every contract
issued by a hospital service corporation or health service corporation
which provides coverage for in-patient hospital care shall also provide
coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorder and
shall include coverage for at least ninety days at a rehabilitation
facility when referred by a doctor.

Section 4. Sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Throughout New York State, opioid and heroin addiction runs rampant.
Every community, urban and rural alike, throughout the State is suscep-
tible to these addictions.

The expansion of access to effective treatments for those who are
addicted to opioids or heroin is paramount in addressing this issue.
One method of expanding access to treatments is to require insurance
coverage for at least 90 days of inpatient rehabilitation services for
substance abuse disorders upon a doctor's prescription. This method
ensures that a connection is established between victims, users, and
treatment facilities thereby increasing the probability of effectively
addressing addiction.  Therefore, it is imperative that this legislation
be enacted.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2016: A.9211/5.6478-A - Reported to Rules/ Referred to Insurance

2017-18: A.492/5.2099 - Referred to Ways and Means/Referred to Insurance

2019-20: A.1163 - Referred to Insurance

2021-22: A.3654 - Referred to Insurance

2023-24: S.7010A - Referred to Insurance

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law and shall apply to any policy issued, amended, or renewed
on and after such effective date.

2025-S1792 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1792
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 13, 2025
                                ___________
 
 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 insurance coverage for
   substance abuse disorder services
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph 30 of subsection  (i)  of  section  3216  of  the
 insurance  law, as amended by section 5 of subpart A of part BB of chap-
 ter 57 of the laws of 2019, is amended by adding a new subparagraph  (H)
 to read as follows:
   (H)  A  POLICY  PROVIDING  COVERAGE UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL INCLUDE
 COVERAGE  FOR  AT  LEAST  NINETY  DAYS  AT  A  REHABILITATION  FACILITY;
 PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT ANY STAY IN A REHABILITATION FACILITY REQUIRED
 TO BE COVERED PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL REQUIRE THE REFERRAL OF A
 DOCTOR.
   § 2. Paragraph 6 of subsection (l) of section 3221  of  the  insurance
 law is amended by adding a new subparagraph (H) to read as follows:
   (H)  A  POLICY  PROVIDING  COVERAGE UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL INCLUDE
 COVERAGE  FOR  AT  LEAST  NINETY  DAYS  AT  A  REHABILITATION  FACILITY;
 PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT ANY STAY IN A REHABILITATION FACILITY REQUIRED
 TO BE COVERED PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL REQUIRE THE REFERRAL OF A
 DOCTOR.
   § 3. Subsection (k) of section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by
 adding a new paragraph 8 to read as follows:
   (8) A POLICY PROVIDING COVERAGE UNDER THIS  SUBSECTION  SHALL  INCLUDE
 COVERAGE  FOR  AT  LEAST  NINETY  DAYS  AT  A  REHABILITATION  FACILITY;
 PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT ANY STAY IN A REHABILITATION  FACILITY  REQUIRED
 TO  BE COVERED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION SHALL REQUIRE THE REFERRAL OF
 A DOCTOR.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have  become  a  law  and  shall apply to any policy issued, amended, or
 renewed on and after such effective date.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD03675-01-5

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