Bill Text: NY A10687 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires health insurance policies to include coverage of optional anesthesia for certain contraceptive and menstrual health procedures including, but not limited to, loop electrosurgical excision procedure, colposcopy, ablation, and intrauterine device insertion.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-08-28 - referred to insurance [A10687 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A10687-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10687

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     August 28, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Simone) --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance

        AN ACT to amend the insurance  law,  in  relation  to  requiring  health
          insurance  policies  to  include  coverage  of optional anesthesia for
          certain contraceptive and menstrual health procedures

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

     1    Section  1.  Clause  (v)  of  subparagraph  (E)  of  paragraph  17  of
     2  subsection (i) of section 3216 of  the  insurance  law,  as  amended  by
     3  section  3  of  part  M of chapter 57 of the laws of 2019, is amended to
     4  read as follows:
     5    (v) all FDA-approved menstrual  health  procedures  and  contraceptive
     6  drugs,  devices,  and  other  products,  including  all over-the-counter
     7  contraceptive drugs, devices, and products as prescribed or as otherwise
     8  authorized under state or federal law;  voluntary  sterilization  proce-
     9  dures  pursuant  to  42 U.S.C. 18022 and identified in the comprehensive
    10  guidelines supported by the health resources and services administration
    11  and thereby incorporated in  the  essential  health  benefits  benchmark
    12  plan;  patient  education and counseling on contraception; and follow-up
    13  services related to the drugs, devices, products, and procedures covered
    14  under this clause, including, but not limited  to,  management  of  side
    15  effects,  counseling  for  continued adherence, and device insertion and
    16  removal. Except as otherwise authorized under this  clause,  a  contract
    17  shall  not  impose  any  restrictions or delays on the coverage required
    18  under this clause.   However, where the FDA has  approved  one  or  more
    19  therapeutic  and  pharmaceutical  equivalent,  as  defined  by  the FDA,
    20  versions of a contraceptive drug, device, or product, a contract is  not
    21  required  to  include all such therapeutic and pharmaceutical equivalent
    22  versions in its formulary, so long as  at  least  one  is  included  and
    23  covered  without cost-sharing and in accordance with this clause. If the
    24  covered therapeutic and pharmaceutical equivalent versions  of  a  drug,
    25  device, or product are not available or are deemed medically inadvisable
    26  a contract shall provide coverage for an alternate therapeutic and phar-
    27  maceutical  equivalent  version  of  the  contraceptive drug, device, or

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14820-01-4

        A. 10687                            2

     1  product without cost-sharing. (a) This coverage shall include  emergency
     2  contraception   without   cost  sharing  when  provided  pursuant  to  a
     3  prescription, or order under section sixty-eight hundred  thirty-one  of
     4  the education law or when lawfully provided over-the-counter. (b) If the
     5  attending  health  care  provider, in his or her reasonable professional
     6  judgment, determines that the use of a non-covered therapeutic or  phar-
     7  maceutical  equivalent  of  a drug, device, or product is warranted, the
     8  health care provider's determination shall be final. The  superintendent
     9  shall  promulgate  regulations  establishing  a process, including time-
    10  frames, for an insured, an insured's designee  or  an  insured's  health
    11  care  provider  to request coverage of a non-covered contraceptive drug,
    12  device, or product. Such regulations shall include  a  requirement  that
    13  insurers  use  an exception form that shall meet criteria established by
    14  the superintendent. (c) This coverage must allow for the  dispensing  of
    15  up  to  twelve  months  worth  of  a contraceptive at one time. (d) This
    16  coverage shall include optional anesthesia for  vaginal,  cervical,  and
    17  uterine medical procedures, including, but not limited to, loop electro-
    18  surgical  excision  procedure,  colposcopy,  ablation,  and intrauterine
    19  device insertion. (e) For the purposes of this clause, "over-the-counter
    20  contraceptive products"  shall  mean  those  products  provided  for  in
    21  comprehensive  guidelines supported by the health resources and services
    22  administration as of January twenty-first, two thousand nineteen.
    23    § 2. Subparagraph (A) of paragraph 16 of  subsection  (l)  of  section
    24  3221  of the insurance law, as amended by section 1 of part M of chapter
    25  57 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
    26    (A) Every  group  or  blanket  policy  that  provides  medical,  major
    27  medical, or similar comprehensive type coverage that is issued, amended,
    28  renewed,  effective or delivered on or after January first, two thousand
    29  twenty, shall provide  coverage  for  all  of  the  following  services,
    30  menstrual health procedures, and contraceptive methods:
    31    (1)  All  FDA-approved  menstrual  health procedures and contraceptive
    32  drugs, devices, and other products.    This  includes  all  FDA-approved
    33  over-the-counter   contraceptive   drugs,   devices,   and  products  as
    34  prescribed or as otherwise authorized under state or  federal  law.  The
    35  following applies to this coverage:
    36    (a)  where the FDA has approved one or more therapeutic and pharmaceu-
    37  tical equivalent, as defined by the FDA,  versions  of  a  contraceptive
    38  drug,  device,  or product, a group or blanket policy is not required to
    39  include all such therapeutic and pharmaceutical equivalent  versions  in
    40  its  formulary,  so long as at least one is included and covered without
    41  cost-sharing and in accordance with this paragraph;
    42    (b) if the covered therapeutic and pharmaceutical equivalent  versions
    43  of  a drug, device, or product are not available or are deemed medically
    44  inadvisable a group or blanket policy  shall  provide  coverage  for  an
    45  alternate  therapeutic  and  pharmaceutical  equivalent  version  of the
    46  contraceptive drug, device, or  product  without  cost-sharing.  If  the
    47  attending  health  care  provider, in his or her reasonable professional
    48  judgment, determines that the use of a non-covered therapeutic or  phar-
    49  maceutical  equivalent  of  a drug, device, or product is warranted, the
    50  health care provider's determination shall be final. The  superintendent
    51  shall  promulgate  regulations  establishing  a process, including time-
    52  frames, for an insured, an insured's designee  or  an  insured's  health
    53  care  provider  to request coverage of a non-covered contraceptive drug,
    54  device, or product. Such regulations shall include  a  requirement  that
    55  insurers  use  an exception form that shall meet criteria established by
    56  the superintendent;

        A. 10687                            3

     1    (c) this coverage shall include emergency contraception without  cost-
     2  sharing  when provided pursuant to a prescription or order under section
     3  sixty-eight hundred thirty-one of the education  law  or  when  lawfully
     4  provided over the counter; [and]
     5    (d) this coverage must allow for the dispensing of up to twelve months
     6  worth of a contraceptive at one time; and
     7    (e)  this  coverage  shall  include  optional  anesthesia for vaginal,
     8  cervical, and uterine medical procedures, including, but not limited to,
     9  loop  electrosurgical  excision  procedure,  colposcopy,  ablation,  and
    10  intrauterine device insertion;
    11    (2) Voluntary sterilization procedures pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 18022 and
    12  identified  in  the  comprehensive  guidelines  supported  by the health
    13  resources and services administration and thereby  incorporated  in  the
    14  essential health benefits benchmark plan;
    15    (3) Patient education and counseling on contraception; and
    16    (4)  Follow-up  services  related to the drugs, devices, products, and
    17  procedures covered under this paragraph, including, but not limited  to,
    18  management  of  side  effects,  counseling  for continued adherence, and
    19  device insertion and removal.
    20    § 3. The opening paragraph and subparagraph  (A)  of  paragraph  1  of
    21  subsection  (cc)  of  section  4303  of the insurance law, as amended by
    22  section 2 of part M of chapter 57 of the laws of 2019,  are  amended  to
    23  read as follows:
    24    Every  contract  that  provides  medical,  major  medical,  or similar
    25  comprehensive type coverage that is issued, amended, renewed,  effective
    26  or  delivered  on  or  after  January  first, two thousand twenty, shall
    27  provide coverage for all of the  following  services,  menstrual  health
    28  procedures, and contraceptive methods:
    29    (A)  All  FDA-approved  menstrual  health procedures and contraceptive
    30  drugs, devices, and other products.    This  includes  all  FDA-approved
    31  over-the-counter   contraceptive   drugs,   devices,   and  products  as
    32  prescribed or as otherwise authorized under state or  federal  law.  The
    33  following applies to this coverage:
    34    (i)  where the FDA has approved one or more therapeutic and pharmaceu-
    35  tical equivalent, as defined by the FDA,  versions  of  a  contraceptive
    36  drug, device, or product, a contract is not required to include all such
    37  therapeutic  and pharmaceutical equivalent versions in its formulary, so
    38  long as at least one is included and covered without cost-sharing and in
    39  accordance with this subsection;
    40    (ii) if the covered therapeutic and pharmaceutical equivalent versions
    41  of a drug, device, or product are not available or are deemed  medically
    42  inadvisable a contract shall provide coverage for an alternate therapeu-
    43  tic  and  pharmaceutical  equivalent  version of the contraceptive drug,
    44  device, or product without cost-sharing. If the  attending  health  care
    45  provider,  in  his  or  her reasonable professional judgment, determines
    46  that the use of a non-covered therapeutic or  pharmaceutical  equivalent
    47  of  a  drug, device, or product is warranted, the health care provider's
    48  determination shall be final. The superintendent shall promulgate  regu-
    49  lations establishing a process, including timeframes, for an insured, an
    50  insured's  designee  or  an  insured's  health  care provider to request
    51  coverage of a non-covered contraceptive drug, device, or  product.  Such
    52  regulations  shall  include a requirement that insurers use an exception
    53  form that shall meet criteria established by the superintendent;
    54    (iii) this coverage  shall  include  emergency  contraception  without
    55  cost-sharing  when  provided  pursuant  to a prescription or order under

        A. 10687                            4

     1  section sixty-eight hundred thirty-one of  the  education  law  or  when
     2  lawfully provided over the counter; [and]
     3    (iv)  this  coverage  must  allow  for  the dispensing of up to twelve
     4  months worth of a contraceptive at one time; and
     5    (v) this coverage  shall  include  optional  anesthesia  for  vaginal,
     6  cervical, and uterine medical procedures, including, but not limited to,
     7  loop  electrosurgical  excision  procedure,  colposcopy,  ablation,  and
     8  intrauterine device insertion;
     9    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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