S 556: Requires that medicaid and health insurance plans provide coverage for costs of prescription smoking cessation treatment that is ordered by a physician; establishes a coverage limit for each covered individual.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 556 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Insurance AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage for treatment of smoking cessation The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a 2 new subsection (ww) to read as follows: 3 (ww) A hospital service corporation or a health service corporation 4 which provides group, group remittance or school blanket coverage for 5 inpatient hospital care shall provide coverage for costs of any FDA 6 approved smoking cessation medication and recommended counseling that is 7 ordered by a physician. Such coverage may be limited to two quit 8 attempts per year. Each quit attempt will include ninety days of any FDA 9 approved cessation medications and four counseling sessions without 10 cost-sharing or prior authorization. This provision shall not apply to a 11 contract issued pursuant to section four thousand three hundred five of 12 this article which covers persons employed in more than one state or the 13 benefit structure of which was the subject of collective bargaining 14 affecting persons who are employed in more than one state. Such coverage 15 may be subject to annual deductibles and co-insurance as may be deemed 16 appropriate by the superintendent and are consistent with those imposed 17 on other benefits within a given policy. Such coverage shall not 18 replace, restrict or eliminate existing coverage provided by the policy. 19 § 2. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is amended by 20 adding a new paragraph 40 to read as follows: 21 (40) Every policy shall provide coverage for costs of any FDA approved 22 smoking cessation medication and recommended counseling that is ordered 23 by a physician. Such coverage may be limited to two quit attempts per 24 year. Each quit attempt will include ninety days of any FDA approved EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01728-01-5 
 S. 556 2 1 cessation medications and four counseling sessions without cost-sharing 2 or prior authorization. 3 § 3. Subsection (1) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by 4 adding a new paragraph 23 to read as follows: 5 (23) Every group or blanket policy delivered or issued for delivery in 6 this state which provides hospital, surgical or medical coverage shall 7 provide coverage for costs of any FDA approved smoking cessation medica- 8 tion and recommended counseling that is ordered by a physician. Such 9 coverage may be limited to two quit attempts per year. Each quit attempt 10 will include ninety days of any FDA approved cessation medications and 11 four counseling sessions without cost-sharing or prior authorization. 12 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 13 it shall have become a law and shall apply to all policies and contracts 14 issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such date. 15 Effective immediately the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule 16 or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec- 17 tive date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such 18 date.