Senate Bill S5481

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to requiring insurance policies to cover neuropsychological exams for dyslexia

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Sponsored By

Current Bill Status Via A2898 - Passed Senate


  • 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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Bill Amendments

2023-S5481 - Details

Law Section:
Insurance Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§3216, 3221 & 4303, Ins L

2023-S5481 - Summary

Requires insurance policies to cover neuropsychological exams for dyslexia under certain circumstances; caps coverage amount.

2023-S5481 - Sponsor Memo

2023-S5481 - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5481
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 6, 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,  in  relation  to  requiring  certain
   insurance policies to cover neuropsychological exams for dyslexia
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as  the  "dyslexia
 diagnosis access act".
   § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds and
 declares the following:
   a.  Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological
 in origin. It is characterized  by  difficulties  with  accurate  and/or
 fluent  word  recognition  and impaired spelling and decoding abilities.
 These difficulties typically result from a deficit in  the  phonological
 component of language within the brain that is often discordant with the
 person's  intelligence and other cognitive abilities. Secondary  effects
 of undetected and unaddressed dyslexia  include    anxiety,  depression,
 worsened  health,  decreased  life  expectancy, lower   education rates,
 lower employment and income rates, and increased  poverty and incarcera-
 tion rates.
    b. Studies indicate that as many as one in  five  children  may  have
 dyslexia or another phonemic awareness issue. However, lack of access to
 appropriate  screening and diagnostic testing poses a barrier to compre-
 hensively tracking the incidence of dyslexia and students  are  unlikely
 to  receive  the  intervention  required  to overcome dyslexia without a
 positive diagnosis. Comprehensive neuropsychological  exams  are  recog-
 nized  as  the most effective way to positively diagnose dyslexia.  Such
 exams are often administered over the course of two days  and  currently
 may  cost  in  excess of six thousand dollars but are typically not paid
 for by health insurance, making them unaffordable to many families.
   § 3. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is amended by
 adding a new paragraph 39 to read as follows:
   (39) (A) EVERY POLICY THAT PROVIDES COVERAGE FOR  PHYSICIAN  SERVICES,
 MEDICAL,  MAJOR  MEDICAL  OR  SIMILAR  COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE COVERAGE SHALL
 
              

co-Sponsors

2023-S5481A (ACTIVE) - Details

Law Section:
Insurance Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§3216, 3221 & 4303, Ins L

2023-S5481A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires insurance policies to cover neuropsychological exams for dyslexia under certain circumstances; caps coverage amount.

2023-S5481A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S5481A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  5481--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 6, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance --  commit-
   tee  discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
   mitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the insurance law,  in  relation  to  requiring  certain
   insurance policies to cover neuropsychological exams for dyslexia
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as  the  "dyslexia
 diagnosis access act".
   § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds and
 declares the following:
   a.  Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological
 in origin. It is characterized  by  difficulties  with  accurate  and/or
 fluent  word  recognition  and impaired spelling and decoding abilities.
 These difficulties typically result from a deficit in  the  phonological
 component of language within the brain that is often discordant with the
 person's  intelligence and other cognitive abilities. Secondary  effects
 of undetected and unaddressed dyslexia  include    anxiety,  depression,
 worsened  health,  decreased  life  expectancy, lower   education rates,
 lower employment and income rates, and increased  poverty and incarcera-
 tion rates.
   b. Studies indicate that as many as one  in  five  children  may  have
 dyslexia or another phonemic awareness issue. However, lack of access to
 appropriate  screening and diagnostic testing poses a barrier to compre-
 hensively tracking the incidence of dyslexia and students  are  unlikely
 to  receive  the  intervention  required  to overcome dyslexia without a
 positive diagnosis. Comprehensive neuropsychological  exams  are  recog-
 nized  as  the most effective way to positively diagnose dyslexia.  Such
 exams are often administered over the course of two days  and  currently

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01994-03-3
 S. 5481--A                          2
              

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