NY State Senate Bill 2025-S7987

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

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 15, 2025	referred to insurance

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7944
Current Committee:: Senate Insurance
Law Section:: Insurance Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§3216, 3221 & 4303, Ins L; add §2404-e, Pub Health L

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Ensures continuity of care for cancer patients during insurance contract negotiations by requiring insurance coverage and treatment continue until the conclusion of care.

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7987

SPONSOR: MAYER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the insurance law and the public health law, in relation
to ensuring continuity of care for cancer patients during insurance
contract negotiations

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation will ensure that oncology patients currently being
treated for cancer will continue to receive coverage from their insurers
in the event that the insurer and oncology treatment provider fail to
agree during contract renewal negotiations. In such an event, all such
patients will be "grandfathered" under the insurer and oncology treat-
ment provider, and will remain covered by insurance and treated by such
provider, for the balance of the course of their treatment.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 sets forth that this act shall be know and may be cited as the

"Continuity of Cancer Care Act" or the "COCCA".ò

Section 2 amends Section 3216 of the insurance law by adding language
stating insurers must continue covering care for such treatments,
regardless of contractual disputes, until the conclusion of the
insured's care.

Section 3 amends Section 3221 of the insurance law by adding language
stating insurers must continue covering care for such treatments,
regardless of contractual disputes, until the conclusion of the
insured's care.

Section 4 amends Section 4304 of the insurance law by adding language
stating insurers must continue covering care for such treatments,
regardless of contractual disputes, until the conclusion of the
insured's care.

Section 5 amends the Public Health Law by adding a new section 2404-e
entitled Cancer; duty to continue treatment - which states insurers must
continue covering care for such treatments, regardless of contractual
disputes, until the conclusion of the insured's care.

Section 6 sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Dealing with a diagnosis of cancer is difficult enough for both the
patient and their loved ones. For a patient to thereafter receive 4
44gor from their insurance provider, that their oncologists may no long-
er be considered "in network" with such insurance provider, is simply
too much to bear. Nonetheless, in October 2024, a major insurer provider
sent such a letter to tens of thousands of its insured patients, regard-
ing their contract negotiations with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer
Center ("MSKCC"), stating that coverage for any and all treatments would
end December 31, 2024. Soon thereafter, the insurance provider sent a
follow-up letter stating they would "grandfather" all patients, current-
ly under treatment, until March 31, 2025. Thankfully, the parties came
to an agreement. Had they not, thousands of cancer patients would have
been forced to leave MSKCC in April 2025, regardless of the status of
their treatment. This bill ensures that any patients currently under
treatment, will be automatically grandfathered for continued care until
the end of their treatment.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7987
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAYER  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance
 
 AN ACT to amend the insurance law and the public health law, in relation
   to ensuring continuity of care for cancer  patients  during  insurance
   contract negotiations

   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 "Continuity
 of Cancer Care Act" or the "COCCA".
   § 2. Section 3216 of the insurance law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subsection (n) to read as follows:
   (N)  AN  INSURER  SHALL,  WHERE  AN INSURED IS RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR
 CANCER AT A HOSPITAL THAT SPECIALIZES IN ONCOLOGY TREATMENT  WHICH  SUCH
 INSURER  WAS  COVERING  IN  WHOLE  OR  IN PART AND SUCH INSURER AND SUCH
 HOSPITAL COMPANY CANNOT COME TO AN  AGREEMENT  DURING  CONTRACT  NEGOTI-
 ATIONS,  CONTINUE  TO  COVER  SUCH TREATMENTS FOR SUCH INSURED UNTIL THE
 CONCLUSION OF SUCH INSURED'S CARE.
   § 3. Section 3221 of the insurance law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subsection (v) to read as follows:
   (V)  AN  INSURER  SHALL,  WHERE  AN INSURED IS RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR
 CANCER AT A HOSPITAL THAT SPECIALIZES IN ONCOLOGY TREATMENT  WHICH  SUCH
 INSURER  WAS  COVERING  IN  WHOLE  OR  IN PART AND SUCH INSURER AND SUCH
 HOSPITAL COMPANY CANNOT COME TO AN  AGREEMENT  DURING  CONTRACT  NEGOTI-
 ATIONS,  CONTINUE  TO  COVER  SUCH TREATMENTS FOR SUCH INSURED UNTIL THE
 CONCLUSION OF SUCH INSURED'S CARE.
   § 4. Section 4303 of the insurance law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subsection (i) to read as follows:
   (I)  AN  INSURER  SHALL,  WHERE  AN INSURED IS RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR
 CANCER AT A HOSPITAL THAT SPECIALIZES IN ONCOLOGY TREATMENT  WHICH  SUCH
 INSURER  WAS  COVERING  IN  WHOLE  OR  IN PART AND SUCH INSURER AND SUCH
 HOSPITAL COMPANY CANNOT COME TO AN  AGREEMENT  DURING  CONTRACT  NEGOTI-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10785-01-5

 S. 7987                             2
 
 ATIONS,  CONTINUE  TO  COVER  SUCH TREATMENTS FOR SUCH INSURED UNTIL THE
 CONCLUSION OF SUCH INSURED'S CARE.
   §  5.  The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2404-e
 to read as follows:
   § 2404-E. CANCER; DUTY  TO  CONTINUE  TREATMENT.  WHERE  A  PERSON  IS
 RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR CANCER AT A HOSPITAL THAT SPECIALIZES IN ONCOLO-
 GY  TREATMENT  WHICH  IS  COVERED BY SUCH PERSON'S INSURANCE COMPANY AND
 SUCH HOSPITAL AND SUCH PERSON'S INSURANCE  COMPANY  CANNOT  COME  TO  AN
 AGREEMENT  DURING  CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, SUCH PERSON SHALL REMAIN UNDER
 CONTINUOUS CARE OF SUCH  HOSPITAL  AND  SUCH  PERSON'S  INSURANCE  SHALL
 CONTINUE  TO PROVIDE SUCH COVERAGE FOR SUCH TREATMENTS UNTIL THE CONCLU-
 SION OF SUCH PERSON'S CARE.
   § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Senate Bill S7987

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Insurance Committee

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S7987

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Shelley B. Mayer

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Insurance Committee

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S7987 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments