A 21: Requires insurance policies to provide coverage for services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments; makes related provisions.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 21 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. MAGNARELLI, JONES, COOK, COLTON, SIMON, BARRETT, DE LOS SANTOS, RAGA, BURDICK, EACHUS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage for children for services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is 2 amended by adding a new paragraph 40 to read as follows: 3 (40) (A) Every policy that provides medical, major medical or similar 4 comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for children for 5 services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or 6 emotional disorders or ailments, including but not limited to biologi- 7 cally based mental illnesses and children with serious emotional 8 disturbances, in a psychiatric center under the jurisdiction of the 9 office of mental health or other psychiatric in-patient facility in the 10 department, and a psychiatric in-patient facility maintained by a poli- 11 tical subdivision of the state for the care or treatment of the mentally 12 ill. Coverage required under this paragraph must be at least equal to 13 coverage provided in such policy for the diagnosis and treatment of 14 mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments with no additional 15 cost sharing. 16 (B) For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "children" shall mean 17 any person under the age of eighteen years. 18 § 2. Subsection (l) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by 19 adding a new paragraph 5-a to read as follows: 20 (5-a) (A) Every policy that provides medical, major medical or similar 21 comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for children for 22 services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00321-01-5 
 A. 21 2 1 emotional disorders or ailments, including but not limited to biologi- 2 cally based mental illnesses and children with serious emotional 3 disturbances, in a psychiatric center under the jurisdiction of the 4 office of mental health or other psychiatric in-patient facility in the 5 department, and a psychiatric in-patient facility maintained by a poli- 6 tical subdivision of the state for the care or treatment of the mentally 7 ill. Coverage required under this paragraph must be at least equal to 8 coverage provided in such policy for the diagnosis and treatment of 9 mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments with no additional 10 cost sharing. 11 (B) For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "children" shall mean 12 any person under the age of eighteen years. 13 § 3. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new 14 subsection (g-1) to read as follows: 15 (g-1) (1) Every contract that provides medical, major medical or simi- 16 lar comprehensive-type coverage, shall provide coverage for children for 17 services related to the diagnosis and treatment of mental, nervous or 18 emotional disorders or ailments, including but not limited to biologi- 19 cally based mental illnesses and children with serious emotional 20 disturbances, in a psychiatric center under the jurisdiction of the 21 office of mental health or other psychiatric in-patient facility in the 22 department, and a psychiatric in-patient facility maintained by a poli- 23 tical subdivision of the state for the care or treatment of the mentally 24 ill. Coverage required under this paragraph must be at least equal to 25 coverage provided in such policy for the diagnosis and treatment of 26 mental, nervous or emotional disorders or ailments with no additional 27 cost sharing. 28 (2) For the purposes of this subsection, the term "children" shall 29 mean any person under the age of eighteen years. 30 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to any 31 policy issued, delivered, renewed, and/or modified on or after the 32 effective date of this act.