Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced the Assembly passed legislation to include pregnancy as a criteria to allow for special enrollment in a health insurance plan (A.6780-B). The bill, part of the Assembly’s Families First agenda to ensure every family has access to the health care they deserve, would give expectant mothers who are uninsured the opportunity to enroll in a health insurance plan at any time, regardless of whether it falls outside a designated enrollment period.

“This bill promotes the health and well-being of pregnant women and their newborns. Healthy families mean healthier communities and a brighter future for New York State,” said Thiele. “By allowing expectant mothers to access health insurance at any time, we can help relieve undue stress and encourage proper prenatal care.”

Currently, special enrollment periods often include marriage, divorce, gaining citizenship and birth. By adding pregnancy to this list, expectant mothers may apply for a qualified health plan without having to wait months for an enrollment period to open up.

According to the nonprofit group Young Invincibles, pregnant women without health insurance may be more likely to forgo prenatal care because they can’t afford it. That puts them at higher risk for conditions like preeclampsia and diabetes that put their health – and their pregnancy – at risk.¹

“Pregnancy is undoubtedly a life-altering event. We allow individuals who experience other life-changing events to enroll outside of designated enrollment windows, and it just makes sense to include pregnancy in the list of qualifiers,” said Assemblyman Thiele.

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