Assembly Bill A8755

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8755
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               June 2, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Insurance
 
 AN ACT to amend the insurance  law,  in  relation  to  providing  cancer
   screening and treatment for retired volunteer firefighters
 
   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 41 to read as follows:
   (41)  (A) EVERY POLICY WHICH PROVIDES MEDICAL, MAJOR MEDICAL, OR SIMI-
 LAR COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE COVERAGE SHALL PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR COMPREHENSIVE
 ANNUAL MEDICAL EXAMS FOR INSURED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE  RETIRED  VOLUNTEER
 FIREFIGHTERS.  SUCH  COMPREHENSIVE  ANNUAL  EXAM  SHALL  INCLUDE  CANCER
 SCREENING, INCLUDING, DIGITAL RECTAL EXAM  FOR  INDIVIDUALS  WITH  PROS-
 TATE-SPECIFIC  ANTIGEN, CERVICAL EXAM WITH PAP TEST, BREAST EXAM, RESPI-
 RATOR FIT TEST, COLONOSCOPIES BEGINNING AT FORTY-FIVE YEARS  OF  AGE  OR
 EARLIER  DEPENDING  ON FAMILY HISTORY, MAMMOGRAMS BEGINNING AT AGE FORTY
 OR EARLIER DEPENDING ON FAMILY HISTORY, AND LOW DOSE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
 DEPENDING ON AGE, SMOKING  HISTORY,  FORCED  EXPIRATORY  VOLUME  (FEV1),
 FAMILY  HISTORY  OF LUNG CANCER, OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE AND HISTORY OF
 PNEUMONIA.
   (B) EVERY POLICY WHICH PROVIDES MEDICAL,  MAJOR  MEDICAL,  OR  SIMILAR
 COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE  COVERAGE SHALL PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR CANCER TREATMENT
 FOR RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS TO INCLUDE THE  COSTS  OF  DIAGNOSIS,
 CURE, MITIGATION, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF CANCER.
   (C)  FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH, "RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHT-
 ER" SHALL MEAN A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN  APPROVED  BY  THE  AUTHORITIES  IN
 CONTROL  OF  A  DULY  ORGANIZED VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY OR VOLUNTEER FIRE
 DEPARTMENT AS AN ACTIVE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER OF SUCH  FIRE  COMPANY  OR
 DEPARTMENT  AND WHO IS FAITHFULLY AND ACTUALLY PERFORMING SERVICE IN THE
 PROTECTION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM FIRE OR OTHER  EMERGENCY,  ACCIDENT
 OR  CALAMITY  IN CONNECTION WITH WHICH THE SERVICES OF SUCH FIRE COMPANY
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11840-01-5
              

 A. 8755                             2
 
 OR FIRE DEPARTMENT ARE REQUIRED AND HAS RETIRED WITH A MINIMUM OF  TWEN-
 TY-FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE AND SHALL:
   (I)  BE  CALCULATED  AS  THE CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF ALL YEARS SERVED BY A
 VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THAT SERVICE  WAS  RENDERED
 AT A SINGLE STATION OR ACROSS MULTIPLE STATIONS;
   (II)  INCLUDE  THE  YEARS OF SERVICE ACCUMULATED BY CURRENT VOLUNTEERS
 UPON THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS PARAGRAPH; AND
   (III) APPLY RETROACTIVELY TO RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS  UPON  THE
 EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS PARAGRAPH.
   § 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by
 adding a new paragraph 23 to read as follows:
   (23)  (A) EVERY POLICY WHICH PROVIDES MEDICAL, MAJOR MEDICAL, OR SIMI-
 LAR COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE COVERAGE SHALL PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR COMPREHENSIVE
 ANNUAL MEDICAL EXAMS FOR INSURED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE  RETIRED  VOLUNTEER
 FIREFIGHTERS.  SUCH  COMPREHENSIVE  ANNUAL  EXAM  SHALL  INCLUDE  CANCER
 SCREENING, INCLUDING, DIGITAL RECTAL EXAM  FOR  INDIVIDUALS  WITH  PROS-
 TATE-SPECIFIC  ANTIGEN, CERVICAL EXAM WITH PAP TEST, BREAST EXAM, RESPI-
 RATOR FIT TEST, COLONOSCOPIES BEGINNING AT FORTY-FIVE YEARS  OF  AGE  OR
 EARLIER  DEPENDING  ON FAMILY HISTORY, MAMMOGRAMS BEGINNING AT AGE FORTY
 OR EARLIER DEPENDING ON FAMILY HISTORY, AND LOW DOSE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
 DEPENDING ON AGE, SMOKING  HISTORY,  FORCED  EXPIRATORY  VOLUME  (FEV1),
 FAMILY  HISTORY  OF LUNG CANCER, OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE AND HISTORY OF
 PNEUMONIA.
   (B) EVERY POLICY WHICH PROVIDES MEDICAL,  MAJOR  MEDICAL,  OR  SIMILAR
 COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE  COVERAGE SHALL PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR CANCER TREATMENT
 FOR RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS TO INCLUDE THE  COSTS  OF  DIAGNOSIS,
 CURE, MITIGATION, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF CANCER.
   (C)  FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS PARAGRAPH, "RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHT-
 ER" SHALL MEAN A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN  APPROVED  BY  THE  AUTHORITIES  IN
 CONTROL  OF  A  DULY  ORGANIZED VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY OR VOLUNTEER FIRE
 DEPARTMENT AS AN ACTIVE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER OF SUCH  FIRE  COMPANY  OR
 DEPARTMENT  AND WHO IS FAITHFULLY AND ACTUALLY PERFORMING SERVICE IN THE
 PROTECTION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM FIRE OR OTHER  EMERGENCY,  ACCIDENT
 OR  CALAMITY  IN CONNECTION WITH WHICH THE SERVICES OF SUCH FIRE COMPANY
 OR FIRE DEPARTMENT ARE REQUIRED AND HAS RETIRED WITH A MINIMUM OF  TWEN-
 TY-FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE AND SHALL:
   (I)  BE  CALCULATED  AS  THE CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF ALL YEARS SERVED BY A
 VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THAT SERVICE  WAS  RENDERED
 AT A SINGLE STATION OR ACROSS MULTIPLE STATIONS;
   (II)  INCLUDE  THE  YEARS OF SERVICE ACCUMULATED BY CURRENT VOLUNTEERS
 UPON THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS PARAGRAPH; AND
   (III) APPLY RETROACTIVELY TO RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS  UPON  THE
 EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS PARAGRAPH.
   §  3.  Section  4303  of  the insurance law is amended by adding a new
 subsection (l-3) to read as follows:
   (L-3) (A) EVERY POLICY WHICH PROVIDES MEDICAL, MAJOR MEDICAL, OR SIMI-
 LAR COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE COVERAGE SHALL PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR COMPREHENSIVE
 ANNUAL MEDICAL EXAMS FOR INSURED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE  RETIRED  VOLUNTEER
 FIREFIGHTERS.  SUCH  COMPREHENSIVE  ANNUAL  EXAM  SHALL  INCLUDE  CANCER
 SCREENING, INCLUDING, DIGITAL RECTAL EXAM  FOR  INDIVIDUALS  WITH  PROS-
 TATE-SPECIFIC  ANTIGEN, CERVICAL EXAM WITH PAP TEST, BREAST EXAM, RESPI-
 RATOR FIT TEST, COLONOSCOPIES BEGINNING AT FORTY-FIVE YEARS  OF  AGE  OR
 EARLIER  DEPENDING  ON FAMILY HISTORY, MAMMOGRAMS BEGINNING AT AGE FORTY
 OR EARLIER DEPENDING ON FAMILY HISTORY, AND LOW DOSE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
 DEPENDING ON AGE, SMOKING  HISTORY,  FORCED  EXPIRATORY  VOLUME  (FEV1),
 A. 8755                             3
 
 FAMILY  HISTORY  OF LUNG CANCER, OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE AND HISTORY OF
 PNEUMONIA.
   (B)  EVERY  POLICY  WHICH  PROVIDES MEDICAL, MAJOR MEDICAL, OR SIMILAR
 COMPREHENSIVE-TYPE COVERAGE SHALL PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR CANCER  TREATMENT
 FOR  RETIRED  VOLUNTEER  FIREFIGHTERS TO INCLUDE THE COSTS OF DIAGNOSIS,
 CURE, MITIGATION, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF CANCER.
   (C) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBSECTION, "RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHT-
 ER" SHALL MEAN A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN  APPROVED  BY  THE  AUTHORITIES  IN
 CONTROL  OF  A  DULY  ORGANIZED VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY OR VOLUNTEER FIRE
 DEPARTMENT AS AN ACTIVE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER OF SUCH  FIRE  COMPANY  OR
 DEPARTMENT  AND WHO IS FAITHFULLY AND ACTUALLY PERFORMING SERVICE IN THE
 PROTECTION OF LIFE AND PROPERTY FROM FIRE OR OTHER  EMERGENCY,  ACCIDENT
 OR  CALAMITY  IN CONNECTION WITH WHICH THE SERVICES OF SUCH FIRE COMPANY
 OR FIRE DEPARTMENT ARE REQUIRED AND HAS RETIRED WITH A MINIMUM OF  TWEN-
 TY-FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE AND SHALL:
   (I)  BE  CALCULATED  AS  THE CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF ALL YEARS SERVED BY A
 VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THAT SERVICE  WAS  RENDERED
 AT A SINGLE STATION OR ACROSS MULTIPLE STATIONS;
   (II)  INCLUDE  THE  YEARS OF SERVICE ACCUMULATED BY CURRENT VOLUNTEERS
 UPON THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBSECTION; AND
   (III) APPLY RETROACTIVELY TO RETIRED VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS  UPON  THE
 EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SUBSECTION.
   §  4.  This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to poli-
 cies and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on  and
 after such date.