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A07342 Summary:

BILL NOA07342A
 
SAME ASSAME AS S05117-A
 
SPONSORGottfried
 
COSPNSRJacobs, Clark, Colton
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd S364-j, Soc Serv L
 
Enacts provisions to provide for vision care by managed care providers through school based health centers; creates a pilot program.
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A07342 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A7342A
 
SPONSOR: Gottfried
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the social services law, in relation to vision care in school based health centers   PURPOSE OF THE BILL: To enhance the availability of vision care services in a school-based health center setting.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1 amends section 364-j(4)(a)(iii) of the Social Services Law by adding a new clause (E- 1) adding certain vision care services at a school-based health center to the list of services which need not be provided by a managed care program. Such services, subject to approval by the Commissioner of Health (limited to up to five pilot programs), would be in partnership with a charitable foundation that agrees to provide free of charge eyeglass frames and lenses at the center pursuant to a memorandum of agreement approved by the Commissioner. The Commis- sioner is further authorized to approve payment rates for vision services at rates comparable to when such services are provided at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) or an entity licensed under Article 28 of the Public Health Law eligible for an ambulatory patient group (APG) rate. Section 2 sets forth the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: The FY2013-14 adopted budget included support for an innovative program designed to transform schools into community hubs. Community schools will integrate social, health and other services, as well as after- school programming to support students and their families. Each communi- ty "hub" could potentially include a wide array of programs and services, including health, vision care and dental clinics, youth devel- opment activities, tutoring, counseling programs, health education programs and social services, to name a few. Because every school commu- nity is different, each "hub" design would be unique. This bill deals exclusively with vision care services. Successful precedent exists for a vision care program in a community school setting. The acclaimed Oyler School vision program in Cincinnati has proven sustainable and expandable. Implementation of this model in New York is crucial. Eighty percent of what children learn is visual. Yet one in four students in North America has an undetected vision prob- lem. For too many children, poor vision results in poor academic performance, low self-esteem and unrealized potential. Bridging this vision care gap is critical to our children's success.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New bill.   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: In the first year there would be no cost to the State or political subdivisions. All services and lenses and frames will be funded by a private foundation with the approval of the Commissioner of Health and subject to regulation and termination at the discretion of DOH. In subsequent years Medicaid would fund the vision care services provided by doctors, optometrists, and opticians under current NYS scope of prac- tice law and rules and the lenses and frames would continue to be paid for by the foundation. Therefore, there would be some increased Medicaid cost of greater utilization of child vision care services but the State would continue to save on Medicaid expenditures it now makes for lenses and frames.   EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately, application to withholding of payment in effect on or commencing after the effective date.
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A07342 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         7342--A
 
                               2013-2014 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      May 13, 2013
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. GOTTFRIED -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CLARK
          --  read  once and referred to the Committee on Health -- reported and
          referred to the Committee on Ways and Means --  committee  discharged,
          bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as amended and recommitted to said
          committee
 

        AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to vision  care  in
          school based health centers
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (a)  of  subdivision  4  of
     2  section  364-j  of  the  social  services law is amended by adding a new
     3  clause (E-1) to read as follows:
     4    (E-1) the services are vision care services rendered to a student at a
     5  school based health center approved by the commissioner pursuant to this
     6  clause. The commissioner may approve up to five pilot programs at school
     7  based health centers in partnership with a  charitable  foundation  that
     8  agrees  to  provide  free  of  charge  eyeglass frames and lenses at the

     9  centers pursuant to a memorandum of agreement approved  by  the  commis-
    10  sioner.  The  commissioner  may  approve  the  rate for such vision care
    11  services at the rate for such services  when  provided  by  a  federally
    12  qualified  health  center  or  when  provided by another entity licensed
    13  pursuant to article twenty-eight of the public health law  and  eligible
    14  for  the ambulatory patient group rate approved for vision care services
    15  by the commissioner; or
    16    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided,  however,  that
    17  the  amendments  to  section  364-j  of  the social services law made by
    18  section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such section  and
    19  shall expire and be deemed repealed therewith.
 
 

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10611-02-3
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