Assembly Bill A21

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    21
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. MAGNARELLI, JONES, COOK, COLTON, SIMON, BARRETT,
   DE LOS SANTOS, RAGA, BURDICK, EACHUS -- read once and referred to  the
   Committee on Insurance
 
 AN  ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage for children
   for services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous
   or emotional disorders or ailments
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subsection  (i)  of  section 3216 of the insurance law is
 amended by adding a new paragraph 40 to read as follows:
   (40) (A) EVERY POLICY THAT PROVIDES MEDICAL, MAJOR MEDICAL OR  SIMILAR
 COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE  COVERAGE,  SHALL  PROVIDE  COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN FOR
 SERVICES RELATED TO THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF  MENTAL,  NERVOUS  OR
 EMOTIONAL  DISORDERS  OR AILMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BIOLOGI-
 CALLY  BASED  MENTAL  ILLNESSES  AND  CHILDREN  WITH  SERIOUS  EMOTIONAL
 DISTURBANCES,  IN  A  PSYCHIATRIC  CENTER  UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE
 OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH OR OTHER PSYCHIATRIC IN-PATIENT FACILITY IN  THE
 DEPARTMENT,  AND A PSYCHIATRIC IN-PATIENT FACILITY MAINTAINED BY A POLI-
 TICAL SUBDIVISION OF THE STATE FOR THE CARE OR TREATMENT OF THE MENTALLY
 ILL. COVERAGE REQUIRED UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH MUST BE AT  LEAST  EQUAL  TO
 COVERAGE  PROVIDED  IN  SUCH  POLICY  FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF
 MENTAL, NERVOUS OR EMOTIONAL DISORDERS OR AILMENTS  WITH  NO  ADDITIONAL
 COST SHARING.
   (B) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH, THE TERM "CHILDREN" SHALL MEAN
 ANY PERSON UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN YEARS.
   § 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by
 adding a new paragraph 5-a to read as follows:
   (5-A) (A) EVERY POLICY THAT PROVIDES MEDICAL, MAJOR MEDICAL OR SIMILAR
 COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE  COVERAGE,  SHALL  PROVIDE  COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN FOR
 SERVICES RELATED TO THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF  MENTAL,  NERVOUS  OR
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD00321-01-5
 A. 21                               2
 
 EMOTIONAL  DISORDERS  OR AILMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BIOLOGI-
 CALLY  BASED  MENTAL  ILLNESSES  AND  CHILDREN  WITH  SERIOUS  EMOTIONAL
 DISTURBANCES,  IN  A  PSYCHIATRIC  CENTER  UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE
 OFFICE  OF MENTAL HEALTH OR OTHER PSYCHIATRIC IN-PATIENT FACILITY IN THE
 DEPARTMENT, AND A PSYCHIATRIC IN-PATIENT FACILITY MAINTAINED BY A  POLI-
 TICAL SUBDIVISION OF THE STATE FOR THE CARE OR TREATMENT OF THE MENTALLY
 ILL.  COVERAGE  REQUIRED  UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH MUST BE AT LEAST EQUAL TO
 COVERAGE PROVIDED IN SUCH POLICY FOR  THE  DIAGNOSIS  AND  TREATMENT  OF
 MENTAL,  NERVOUS  OR  EMOTIONAL DISORDERS OR AILMENTS WITH NO ADDITIONAL
 COST SHARING.
   (B) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH, THE TERM "CHILDREN" SHALL MEAN
 ANY PERSON UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN YEARS.
   § 3. Section 4303 of the insurance law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subsection (g-1) to read as follows:
   (G-1) (1) EVERY CONTRACT THAT PROVIDES MEDICAL, MAJOR MEDICAL OR SIMI-
 LAR COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE COVERAGE, SHALL PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN FOR
 SERVICES  RELATED  TO  THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF MENTAL, NERVOUS OR
 EMOTIONAL DISORDERS OR AILMENTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED  TO  BIOLOGI-
 CALLY  BASED  MENTAL  ILLNESSES  AND  CHILDREN  WITH  SERIOUS  EMOTIONAL
 DISTURBANCES, IN A PSYCHIATRIC CENTER  UNDER  THE  JURISDICTION  OF  THE
 OFFICE  OF MENTAL HEALTH OR OTHER PSYCHIATRIC IN-PATIENT FACILITY IN THE
 DEPARTMENT, AND A PSYCHIATRIC IN-PATIENT FACILITY MAINTAINED BY A  POLI-
 TICAL SUBDIVISION OF THE STATE FOR THE CARE OR TREATMENT OF THE MENTALLY
 ILL.  COVERAGE  REQUIRED  UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH MUST BE AT LEAST EQUAL TO
 COVERAGE PROVIDED IN SUCH POLICY FOR  THE  DIAGNOSIS  AND  TREATMENT  OF
 MENTAL,  NERVOUS  OR  EMOTIONAL DISORDERS OR AILMENTS WITH NO ADDITIONAL
 COST SHARING.
   (2) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBSECTION,  THE  TERM  "CHILDREN"  SHALL
 MEAN ANY PERSON UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN YEARS.
   §  4.  This  act  shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any
 policy issued, delivered, renewed,  and/or  modified  on  or  after  the
 effective date of this act.