Bill Text: NY A00622 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to mandatory health insurance coverage for acupuncture services.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - referred to insurance [A00622 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A00622-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           622

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. KIM, COLTON, EPSTEIN, LUCAS, REYES, CHANG, STERN
          -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance

        AN ACT to amend the insurance  law,  in  relation  to  mandatory  health
          insurance coverage for acupuncture services

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subsection (i) of section 3216  of  the  insurance  law  is
     2  amended by adding a new paragraph 40 to read as follows:
     3    (40)  Every  policy  issued  within the health benefit exchange estab-
     4  lished pursuant to section 1311 of the affordable care act, 42 U.S.C.  §
     5  18031,  shall  provide  coverage for acupuncture treatment as defined in
     6  section eight thousand two hundred eleven of the education law  provided
     7  by  an individual licensed, authorized, or certified pursuant to article
     8  one hundred sixty of the education law. However,  acupuncture  treatment
     9  and  services  may  be  subject to reasonable deductible, co-payment and
    10  co-insurance amount, reasonable fee or benefit  limits,  and  reasonable
    11  utilization  review,  provided  that  any such amounts, limits or review
    12  shall be no greater than other essential health benefits covered by  the
    13  policy  and  provided  further  that any such amounts, limits, or review
    14  shall not function  to  direct  treatment  in  a  manner  discriminative
    15  against  acupuncture  treatment.  Nothing  herein  shall be construed as
    16  impending or preventing either the provision or coverage of  acupuncture
    17  treatment  and  services  by  duly  licensed or certified acupuncturist,
    18  within the lawful scope of the  practice  of  acupuncture,  in  hospital
    19  facilities on a staff or employee basis.
    20    §  2.  Section  4303  of  the insurance law is amended by adding a new
    21  subsection (ww) to read as follows:
    22    (ww) Every policy issued within the  health  benefit  exchange  estab-
    23  lished  pursuant to section 1311 of the affordable care act, 42 U.S.C. §
    24  18031, shall provide coverage for acupuncture treatment  as  defined  in

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00185-01-5
        A. 622                              2

     1  section  eight thousand two hundred eleven of the education law provided
     2  by an individual licensed, authorized, or certified pursuant to  article
     3  one  hundred  sixty of the education law. However, acupuncture treatment
     4  and  services  may  be  subject to reasonable deductible, co-payment and
     5  co-insurance amount, reasonable fee or benefit  limits,  and  reasonable
     6  utilization  review,  provided  that  any such amounts, limits or review
     7  shall be no greater than other essential health benefits covered by  the
     8  policy  and  provided  further  that any such amounts, limits, or review
     9  shall not function  to  direct  treatment  in  a  manner  discriminative
    10  against  acupuncture  treatment.  Nothing  herein  shall be construed as
    11  impeding or preventing either the provision or coverage  of  acupuncture
    12  treatment  and  services  by  duly licensed or certified acupuncturists,
    13  within the lawful scope of the  practice  of  acupuncture,  in  hospital
    14  facilities on a staff or employees basis.
    15    §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    16  have become a law and shall apply  to  policies  and  contracts  issued,
    17  renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such effective date.