NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1599
SPONSOR: Rosenthal L TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to limiting or excluding
pre-existing conditions in animal insurance policies
PURPOSE:
To prohibit animal insurance policies sold in New York from containing
exclusions or limitations on coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Adds a new section 3457 to the Insurance Law stating that
animal insurance policies shall not contain any exclusion or limitation
with respect to pre-existing conditions of any animal.
Section 2: Effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Around New York, thousands of people have purchased pet insurance for
their companion animals only to find that when their pet is injured or
sick, their insurance company refuses to cover the cost of treatment or
medicine, citing supposed preexisting conditions for the pet. Just as
federal and state law now forbid denial of coverage or payment based on
pre-existing conditions for humans, the law should forbid denial of
coverage or payment based on pre-existing conditions for animals. Insur-
ance companies collect millions of dollars in pet insurance premiums
from New Yorkers; they should not be allowed to deny treatment to pets
just when it is needed most.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: A.7051 - Referred to Insurance; S.1678 - Referred to Insurance
2020 - S6742 Referred to Insurance / No Assembly Same-as
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the state
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that this act
shall apply to insurance contracts issued or renewed on or after such
effective date, and shall apply at the next required policy period,
commencing on or after such date, to any insurance contract written
prior to the effective date of this act.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1599
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 17, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to limiting or excluding
pre-existing conditions in animal insurance policies
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The insurance law is amended by adding a new section 3462
2 to read as follows:
3 § 3462. Pre-existing conditions in animal insurance policies. Animal
4 insurance policies shall not contain any exclusion or limitation with
5 respect to pre-existing conditions of any animal.
6 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that
7 this act shall apply to insurance contracts issued or renewed on or
8 after such effective date, and shall apply at the next required policy
9 period, commencing on or after such date, to any insurance contract
10 written prior to the effective date of this act.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04591-01-3
