NY State Senate Bill 2021-S1173

Senate Bill S1173

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Requires dental insurance plans to automatically carry over a portion of the enrollee's benefit amount for use in the succeeding year

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Civil Service And Pensions 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

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to civil service and pensions
Jan 07, 2021	referred to civil service and pensions

2021-S1173 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Civil Service And Pensions
Law Section:: Civil Service Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §160, Civ Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S4697
2023-2024: S1973

2021-S1173 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires dental insurance plans to automatically carry over a portion of the enrollee's unused benefit amount of up to 25% of the total benefit amount for use in the succeeding year.

2021-S1173 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S1173

SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to requiring dental
insurance plans to automatically carry over a portion of the enrollee's
benefit amount for use in the succeeding year

 
PURPOSE OF BILL:

To require dental insurance plans to annually carry over for the
succeeding year any unused benefit adding up to at least twenty-five
percent of an enrollee's initial benefit amount

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends subdivision 2 of section 160 of the civil service law
to include a provision requiring dental insurance plans to automatically
and annually carry over any unused benefit amount of such plan in an
amount up to at least twenty-five percent of the enrollee's benefit

amount and which shall be added to the enrollee's benefit amount for the
succeeding year.

Section 2 relates to the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Government employees who wish to utilize their dental insurance benefits
for major procedures may not be able to do so, in part, because plans
may not allow unused benefits to carry over to succeeding years. An
enrollee's dental health fluctuates year after year: some years may
require only basic care while other years require complex oral
surgeries. Yet, those with dental plans that do not carry over unused
benefits struggle to pay for care when they most urgently need it.
Requiring a substantial portion of unused dental benefits to roll over
to succeeding years - thus allowing enrollees to save for prospective
costly procedures - will provide much needed financial stability.
Specifically, this bill will ensure that enrollees keep unused benefits
amounting up to at least twenty-five percent of their benefit plan for
succeeding years.  Enrollees should not be penalized for using only what
they need; likewise, they should not be financially inhibited from seek-
ing major procedures when they do need it simply because they're barred
from accessing unused benefits from previous years.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATION:

TBD.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2021-S1173 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1173
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 7, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RAMOS  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
 
 AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to  requiring  dental
   insurance   plans  to  automatically  carry  over  a  portion  of  the
   enrollee's benefit amount for use in the succeeding year

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision 2 of section 160 of the civil service law, as
 amended by chapter 414 of the laws  of  1980,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   2.  The  president,  in  his  discretion, is hereby empowered to make,
 amend and rescind, from time to time, regulations establishing a  dental
 insurance  plan  which  shall  be  a  part  of the health insurance plan
 authorized by this article. Such regulations may provide for negotiating
 unit, employee and employer participation or nonparticipation, employee,
 dependent and retiree eligibility or noneligibility  and  such  contrib-
 ution  rates as the president may determine even though such regulations
 establish standards which differ from those applicable by law  to  other
 parts  of such health insurance plan; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT SUCH REGU-
 LATIONS SHALL REQUIRE DENTAL INSURANCE PLANS TO  AUTOMATICALLY  ANNUALLY
 CARRY  OVER ANY UNUSED BENEFIT AMOUNT OF SUCH PLAN IN AN AMOUNT UP TO AT
 LEAST TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE ENROLLEE'S  BENEFIT  AMOUNT  AND  WHICH
 SHALL BE ADDED TO THE ENROLLEE'S BENEFIT AMOUNT FOR THE SUCCEEDING YEAR.
 The president is hereby authorized and directed to provide in such regu-
 lations  for  participation  in  the  dental insurance plan by retirees;
 provided, however, that the claims  experience  for  retirees  shall  be
 separately  rated  and  premiums established separate from other partic-
 ipants in the plan and provided further that the full costs  of  partic-
 ipation in such plan, including all administrative costs, shall be borne
 by  such  retirees. Considering the dental insurance plan as a whole, no
 regulation enacted pursuant to this subdivision shall provide or  permit
 a  benefit structure inconsistent with the most efficient and economical
 administration of such plan.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05054-01-1

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