NY State Senate Bill 2025-S514

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 08, 2025	referred to insurance

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2025-S514 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Insurance
Law Section:: Insurance Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§3221 & 4303, Ins L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S5495
2021-2022: S533
2023-2024: S1475

2025-S514 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to the mandatory coverage of hearing aids by insurers and other organizations.

2025-S514 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    514
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. PERSAUD, ADDABBO, COMRIE, GOUNARDES, HINCHEY, MYRIE,
   SALAZAR,  SKOUFIS  -- 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 the mandatory coverage
   of hearing aids by insurers and other organizations
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  3221 of the insurance law is amended by adding a
 new subsection (v) to read as follows:
   (V) (1) AS USED IN THIS SUBSECTION, "HEARING AID" SHALL HAVE THE  SAME
 MEANING  AND DEFINITION USED IN SECTION SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-NINE OF THE
 GENERAL BUSINESS LAW.
   (2) EVERY LARGE GROUP POLICY WHICH PROVIDES MAJOR MEDICAL  OR  COMPRE-
 HENSIVE-TYPE  COVERAGE  SHALL  INCLUDE  COVERAGE FOR THE COST OF HEARING
 AIDS WHEN THE INSURED HAS RECEIVED A MEDICAL EVALUATION AND SUCH HEARING
 AIDS ARE FITTED AND DISPENSED BY AN AUDIOLOGIST REGISTERED AS A  HEARING
 AID  DISPENSER  OR  A  REGISTERED  HEARING  AID  DISPENSER REGISTERED IN
 ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE THIRTY-SEVEN-A  OF  THE  GENERAL  BUSINESS  LAW,
 PROVIDED  AN  ENTITY  SUBJECT  TO  THIS SUBSECTION MAY LIMIT THE BENEFIT
 PAYABLE UNDER THIS SUBSECTION TO TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED  DOLLARS  PER
 HEARING AID FOR EACH HEARING-IMPAIRED EAR EVERY THIRTY-SIX MONTHS.
   (3)  THIS  SUBSECTION  DOES  NOT  PROHIBIT  AN  ENTITY  SUBJECT TO THE
 PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBSECTION FROM PROVIDING COVERAGE THAT IS GREATER OR
 MORE FAVORABLE TO AN INSURED OR ENROLLED INDIVIDUAL.
   (4) AN ENTITY SUBJECT TO  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  THIS  SUBSECTION  SHALL
 PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR THE COST OF HEARING AIDS DISPENSED BY AN IN-NETWORK
 AUDIOLOGIST  REGISTERED AS A HEARING AID DISPENSER OR A REGISTERED HEAR-
 ING AID DISPENSER AND SHALL NOT LIMIT OR DENY COVERAGE OF THE COST OF  A
 HEARING  AID  BASED  ON THE STYLE, BRAND, OR CIRCUIT TYPE OF THE HEARING
 AID.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD01662-02-5
 S. 514                              2
 
   § 2. Section 4303 of the insurance law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subsection (ww) to read as follows:
   (WW)(1)  AS USED IN THIS SUBSECTION, "HEARING AID" SHALL HAVE THE SAME
 MEANING AND DEFINITION USED IN SECTION SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-NINE OF  THE
 GENERAL BUSINESS LAW.
   (2)  EVERY LARGE GROUP POLICY WHICH PROVIDES MEDICAL, MAJOR MEDICAL OR
 COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE COVERAGE SHALL INCLUDE COVERAGE FOR THE COST OF HEAR-
 ING AIDS WHEN THE INSURED HAS RECEIVED A  MEDICAL  EVALUATION  AND  SUCH
 HEARING  AIDS ARE FITTED AND DISPENSED BY AN AUDIOLOGIST REGISTERED AS A
 HEARING AID DISPENSER OR A REGISTERED HEARING AID  DISPENSER  REGISTERED
 IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH ARTICLE THIRTY-SEVEN-A OF THE GENERAL BUSINESS LAW,
 PROVIDED AN ENTITY SUBJECT TO THIS  SUBSECTION  MAY  LIMIT  THE  BENEFIT
 PAYABLE  UNDER  THIS SUBSECTION TO TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER
 HEARING AID FOR EACH HEARING-IMPAIRED EAR EVERY THIRTY-SIX MONTHS.
   (3) THIS SUBSECTION  DOES  NOT  PROHIBIT  AN  ENTITY  SUBJECT  TO  THE
 PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBSECTION FROM PROVIDING COVERAGE THAT IS GREATER OR
 MORE FAVORABLE TO AN INSURED OR ENROLLED INDIVIDUAL.
   (4)  AN  ENTITY  SUBJECT  TO  THE  PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBSECTION SHALL
 PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR THE COST OF HEARING AIDS DISPENSED BY  ANY  IN-NET-
 WORK  AUDIOLOGIST  REGISTERED AS A HEARING AID DISPENSER OR A REGISTERED
 HEARING AID DISPENSER AND SHALL NOT LIMIT OR DENY COVERAGE OF A  HEARING
 AID BASED ON THE STYLE, BRAND, OR CIRCUIT TYPE OF THE HEARING AID.
   §  3. 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.    Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
 and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
 of this act on  its  effective  date  are  authorized  to  be  made  and
 completed on or before such date.

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Senate Bill S514

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