NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7979A
SPONSOR: Quart TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to
prohibiting certain insurance policies from requiring prior authori-
zation for certain medications used in the treatment of substance use
disorders; and to repeal certain provisions of such law relating thereto
PURPOSE:
To ensure uniformity across all health insurance plan policies regarding
reasonable patient access to medication assisted treatment for substance
abuse disorders.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 repeals subdivision 31-a of section 3216 of the insurance law
and replaces it with a new subdivision to require health insurers to
provide patient access, without prior authorization requirements, for
initial and renewal prescriptions for buprenorphine and long acting
injectable naltrexone for the treatment of substance abuse disorders.
Section 2 repeals paragraphs 7-a and 7-b of subsection (1) of section
3221 of the insurance law and adds a new paragraph 7-a to require health
insurers to provide patient access, without prior authorization require-
ments, for initial and renewal prescriptions for buprenorphine and long
acting injectable naltrexone for the treatment of substance abuse disor-
ders.
Section 3 repeals subsections (1-1) and (1-2) of section 4303 of the
insurance law and adds a new subsection (1-1) to require health insurers
to provide patient access, without prior authorization requirements, for
initial and renewal prescriptions for buprenorphine and long acting
injectable naltrexone for the treatment of substance abuse disorders.
Section 4 provides that this act will take effect on the 6oth day after
enactment.
JUSTIFICATION:
New York is experiencing an unprecedented heroin and opioid epidemic
that is ravaging communities across the state. According to the New York
State Comptroller's Office, New York has experienced an increase in
death rates due to opioid and heroin addiction that outpaces almost any
other state where data is available.
This bill builds upon measures enacted in 2016 to improve access to
health insurance coverage for substance abuse treatment, including medi-
cation assisted treatment. In 2016, prior authorization requirements
were removed for buprenorphine and long acting injectable naltrexone in
the Medicaid program. The purpose of this bill is to establish parity
for all consumers by ensuring that addicted persons with commercial
insurance coverage can access medication assisted treatment as
prescribed by their health care providers without unnecessary barriers.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Sixty days after enactment
