Senate Bill S2561

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to requiring all insurance policies and medical assistance to provide coverage for medically necessary hearing aids for children under 16 years of age

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Insurance 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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2023-S2561 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Insurance
Law Section:
Insurance Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§3216, 3221 & 4303, Ins L; amd §2511, Pub Health L; amd §365-a, Soc Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2019-2020: S7099
2021-2022: S432

2023-S2561 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts "Isabella's law" to require all health insurance policies and medical assistance to provide insurance coverage for the cost of medically necessary hearing aids for children under the age of 16.

2023-S2561 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S2561 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2561
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 23, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
 
 AN ACT to amend the insurance law, the public health law and the  social
   services  law,  in  relation to requiring coverage for the purchase of
   medically necessary hearing aids for children under the age of sixteen
   years
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 "Isabella's law".
   § 2. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is amended by
 adding a new paragraph 39 to read as follows:
   (39) (A) (I) EVERY HEALTH INSURANCE POLICY ISSUED OR DELIVERED IN THIS
 STATE SHALL  PROVIDE  COVERAGE  FOR  MEDICALLY  NECESSARY  HEARING  AIDS
 PURCHASED  FROM A HEARING AID DISPENSER REGISTERED UNDER ARTICLE THIRTY-
 SEVEN-A OF THE GENERAL BUSINESS LAW OR  AN  AUDIOLOGIST  LICENSED  UNDER
 ARTICLE  ONE  HUNDRED  FIFTY-NINE  OF  THE  EDUCATION LAW FOR AN INSURED
 PERSON WHO IS LESS THAN SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE, SUCH INSURED PERSON  SHALL
 BE  ENTITLED  TO  REIMBURSEMENT  OF  UP TO ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR EACH
 HEARING AID EVERY TWO YEARS FOR EXPENSES RELATED TO THE PURCHASE  OF  UP
 TO  TWO  HEARING  AIDS.    WHEN  IT IS DEMONSTRATED THAT (1) THE INSURED
 CHILD'S HEARING HAS CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN A TWO YEAR  PERIOD  AND
 (2)  THE EXISTING HEARING AID WILL NO LONGER CORRECT THE CHILD'S HEARING
 LOSS, SUCH INSURED PERSON SHALL BE ENTITLED TO REIMBURSEMENT  FOR  ADDI-
 TIONAL HEARING AID EXPENSES.
   (II)  FOR  THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH, THE INSURED PERSON SHALL BE
 ENTITLED TO SPEND MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS ON  EACH  HEARING  AID,
 BUT  SHALL  ONLY  BE  ALLOWED REIMBURSEMENT UP TO THE AMOUNT PROVIDED IN
 CLAUSE (I) OF THIS SUBPARAGRAPH.
   (B)(I) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH "HEARING AID" SHALL MEAN ANY
 WEARABLE INSTRUMENT OR DEVICES  DESIGNED  FOR  HEARING  AND  ANY  PARTS,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07151-01-3
              

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