Bill Text: NY S00514 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - REFERRED TO INSURANCE [S00514 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S00514-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           514

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (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:

     1    Section  1.  Section  3221 of the insurance law is amended by adding a
     2  new subsection (v) to read as follows:
     3    (v) (1) As used in this subsection, "hearing aid" shall have the  same
     4  meaning  and definition used in section seven hundred eighty-nine of the
     5  general business law.
     6    (2) Every large group policy which provides major medical  or  compre-
     7  hensive-type  coverage  shall  include  coverage for the cost of hearing
     8  aids when the insured has received a medical evaluation and such hearing
     9  aids are fitted and dispensed by an audiologist registered as a  hearing
    10  aid  dispenser  or  a  registered  hearing  aid  dispenser registered in
    11  accordance with article thirty-seven-A  of  the  general  business  law,
    12  provided  an  entity  subject  to  this subsection may limit the benefit
    13  payable under this subsection to two thousand five hundred  dollars  per
    14  hearing aid for each hearing-impaired ear every thirty-six months.
    15    (3)  This  subsection  does  not  prohibit  an  entity  subject to the
    16  provisions of this subsection from providing coverage that is greater or
    17  more favorable to an insured or enrolled individual.
    18    (4) An entity subject to  the  provisions  of  this  subsection  shall
    19  provide coverage for the cost of hearing aids dispensed by an in-network
    20  audiologist  registered as a hearing aid dispenser or a registered hear-
    21  ing aid dispenser and shall not limit or deny coverage of the cost of  a
    22  hearing  aid  based  on the style, brand, or circuit type of the hearing
    23  aid.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01662-02-5
        S. 514                              2

     1    § 2. Section 4303 of the insurance law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
     2  subsection (ww) to read as follows:
     3    (ww)(1)  As used in this subsection, "hearing aid" shall have the same
     4  meaning and definition used in section seven hundred eighty-nine of  the
     5  general business law.
     6    (2)  Every large group policy which provides medical, major medical or
     7  comprehensive-type coverage shall include coverage for the cost of hear-
     8  ing aids when the insured has received a  medical  evaluation  and  such
     9  hearing  aids are fitted and dispensed by an audiologist registered as a
    10  hearing aid dispenser or a registered hearing aid  dispenser  registered
    11  in  accordance  with article thirty-seven-A of the general business law,
    12  provided an entity subject to this  subsection  may  limit  the  benefit
    13  payable  under  this subsection to two thousand five hundred dollars per
    14  hearing aid for each hearing-impaired ear every thirty-six months.
    15    (3) This subsection  does  not  prohibit  an  entity  subject  to  the
    16  provisions of this subsection from providing coverage that is greater or
    17  more favorable to an insured or enrolled individual.
    18    (4)  An  entity  subject  to  the  provisions of this subsection shall
    19  provide coverage for the cost of hearing aids dispensed by  any  in-net-
    20  work  audiologist  registered as a hearing aid dispenser or a registered
    21  hearing aid dispenser and shall not limit or deny coverage of a  hearing
    22  aid based on the style, brand, or circuit type of the hearing aid.
    23    §  3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
    24  ing the date on which it shall have become a law and shall apply to  all
    25  policies and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered, or amended on
    26  or  after  such  date.    Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
    27  and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
    28  of this act on  its  effective  date  are  authorized  to  be  made  and
    29  completed on or before such date.