NY State Senate Bill 2021-S2989A

Senate Bill S2989A

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Relates to reimbursing health care providers at the same rate for telephonic and telehealth visits

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health 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

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to health
Feb 22, 2021	print number 2989a
Feb 22, 2021	amend (t) and recommit to health
Jan 26, 2021	referred to health

Bill Amendments

Original

A (Active)

2021-S2989 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A669
Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §2999-dd, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in 2019-2020 Legislative Session:: S8785, A10723

2021-S2989 - Summary

Reimburses health care providers at the same rate for telephonic and telehealth visits as in-person visits.

2021-S2989 - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2989

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law,in relation to reimbursing health
care providers at the same rate for telehealth visits as in-person
visits

 
PURPOSE:

To achieve payment parity between telehealth and telemedicine services
and in-person services.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section one amends subdivision 1 of section 2999-dd of the public health
law.

Section two establishes the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in the number of
individuals using telehealth and telemedicine to access vital healthcare
services. It is expected that the desire to use telehealth among
patients and providers will continue to expand long after COVID-19
subsides. Telehealth offers patients the ability to access care remote-
ly, providing a particular benefit to those who live in remote, rural
areas, single working parents of young children, low-income people with-
out access to reliable transportation, elderly people, people with
compromised immune systems and those with mobility issues, to name just
a few.

However, without payment parity for telehealth, healthcare providers may
be reimbursed at a lower rate for these services than they are for
in-person visits, which will discourage its further expansion and use.
This legislation will require that healthcare services delivered through
telehealth are reimbursed at the same rate as an in-person visit,
providing an incentive for even more providers to treat patients through
telehealth.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2020: S8785 referred to Rules; same as A10726 (Rosenthal L) referred to
health

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Undetermined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2021-S2989 - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2989
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 26, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law,in relation to reimbursing  health
   care  providers  at  the  same rate for telehealth visits as in-person
   visits

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Subdivision 1 of section 2999-dd of the public health law,
 as amended by chapter 124 of the laws of 2020, is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   1.  Health  care  services  delivered  by means of telehealth shall be
 entitled to reimbursement ON THE SAME BASIS AND TO THE SAME EXTENT AS IF
 SUCH SERVICES WERE  PROVIDED  IN  PERSON  under  section  three  hundred
 sixty-seven-u  of  the social services law; provided however, reimburse-
 ment for additional  modalities,  provider  categories  and  originating
 sites  specified  in accordance with section twenty-nine hundred ninety-
 nine-ee of this article, and audio-only telephone communication  defined
 in regulations promulgated pursuant to subdivision four of section twen-
 ty-nine hundred ninety-nine-cc of this article, shall be contingent upon
 federal financial participation.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00290-01-1

co-Sponsors

2021-S2989A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A669
Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §2999-dd, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in 2019-2020 Legislative Session:: S8785, A10723

2021-S2989A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Reimburses health care providers at the same rate for telephonic and telehealth visits as in-person visits.

2021-S2989A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S2989A

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to reimbursing health
care providers at the same rate for telephonic and telehealth visits as
in-person visits

 
PURPOSE:

Relates to reimbursing health law, in relation to reimbursing health
care providers at the same rate for telephone and telehealth visits as
in-person visits

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section one amends subdivision 1 of section 2999-dd of the public health
law. This provides that telehealth, including audio-only telephone
communications as denied in regulations promulgated pursuant to subdivi-
sion four of section twenty-nine hundred ninety-nine-cc of this article

and on the same basis and to the same extent as if such services were
provided in person.

Section two establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic increase in the number of
individuals using telehealth and telemedicine to access vital healthcare
services. It is expected that the desire to use telehealth among
patients and providers will continue to expand long after COVID-19
subsides. Telehealth offers patients the ability to access care remote-
ly, providing a particular benefit to those who live in remote, rural
areas, single working parents of young children, low-income people with-
out access to reliable transportation, elderly people, people with
compromised immune systems and those with mobility issues, to name just
a few.

However, without payment parity for telehealth, healthcare providers may
be reimbursed at a lower rate for these services than they are for
in-person visits, which will discourage its further expansion and use.
This legislation will require that healthcare services delivered through
telehealth are reimbursed at the same rate as an in-person visit,
providing an incentive for even more providers to treat patients through
telehealth.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2020: S8785 referred to Rules; same as A10726 (Rosenthal L) referred to
health

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Undetermined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2021-S2989A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  2989--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 26, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed  to  the  Committee  on  Health  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to reimbursing health
   care  providers  at the same rate for telephonic and telehealth visits
   as in-person visits
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Subdivision 1 of section 2999-dd of the public health law,
 as amended by chapter 124 of the laws of 2020, is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   1.  Health  care  services delivered by means of telehealth, INCLUDING
 AUDIO-ONLY TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS AS DEFINED IN REGULATIONS PROMULGAT-
 ED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FOUR OF SECTION TWENTY-NINE  HUNDRED  NINETY-
 NINE-CC  OF THIS ARTICLE, shall be entitled to reimbursement ON THE SAME
 BASIS AND TO THE SAME EXTENT AS IF SUCH SERVICES WERE PROVIDED IN PERSON
 under section three hundred sixty-seven-u of the  social  services  law;
 provided  however,  reimbursement  for  additional  modalities, provider
 categories and originating sites specified in  accordance  with  section
 twenty-nine  hundred  ninety-nine-ee  of  this  article, [and audio-only
 telephone communication defined in regulations promulgated  pursuant  to
 subdivision  four  of section twenty-nine hundred ninety-nine-cc of this
 article,] shall be contingent upon federal financial participation.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00290-02-1

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