SENATOR BIAGGI AND SENATE MAJORITY PASSED ADVANCED MATERNAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LEGISLATION

ALBANY, NY – This week Senator Alessandra Biaggi and the Senate Democratic Majority advanced legislation to improve maternal and reproductive health in New York State. The legislative package advanced will enact "Lian's Law," which expands the health care and wellness education and outreach program to include information about preeclampsia, require the Department of Health to develop pelvic exam information pamphlets, and enact a review of the covered benefits related to childbirth offered by all health insurance providers in New York State to uncover hidden costs.

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx/Westchester) issued the following statement:

"Far too many New Yorkers have trouble accessing reproductive healthcare and the information needed to make informed decisions about their health. Lack of crucial information regarding pelvic exams or preeclampsia can endanger patients’ lives. By providing additional educational resources and outreach, we can ensure all New Yorkers have the knowledge to feel safe and confident when making reproductive health decisions. I am proud to cosponsor these four bills and join my colleagues in passing this important legislation."

The legislation passed by Senator Biaggi and the Senate Democratic Majority include:

• Informational Pamphlets for Pelvic Exams: This bill, S.210A, sponsored by Senator Roxanne Persaud and co-sponsored by Senator Biaggi, requires the department of health to develop an informational pamphlet for patients undergoing pelvic examinations and to make the informational pamphlet available for use by medical practitioners performing pelvic examinations.
• Expansion of Healthcare and Wellness Education and Outreach Programs: This bill, S.3209, sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar and co-sponsored by Senator Biaggi, will encourage and establish awareness for the options for donation of postnatal tissue and fluids. Public education and outreach surrounding postnatal tissue and fluids would encourage public knowledge of the medical potential for them, similarly to having the option to donate blood or donating one's organs after passing. Postnatal tissue and fluids include the placenta, umbilical cord, and amniotic fluid. 
• Lian's Law: This bill, S.3474, sponsored by Senator Jermey Cooney and co-sponsored by Senator Biaggi, will enact "Lian's law" which expands the health care and wellness education and outreach program to include information on detection, risk factors and management, and possible options for the treatment of preeclampsia. 
• Review of Healthcare Benefits Related to Childbirth: This bill, S4827, sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar and cosponsored by Senator Biaggi, directs the Department of Financial Services, in consultation with the Department of Health to review the covered benefits related to childbirth offered by all health insurance providers in New York State. The review will uncover hidden costs related to childbirth, shine a light on disparities in rates negotiated by insurers covering the birth, and determine if statewide standards should be adopted in addition to taking measure of how the State already fulfills requirements set by the Federal Affordable Care Act.

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