Requires all insurance policies and health maintenance organization contracts to provide coverage for maternity patients and their newborns for hospital stays of at least 48 hours following childbirth by natural delivery and 96 hours following childbirth by caesarean section; provides similar coverage for patients who are recipients of medicaid.

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A6983-2011 Actions

• Jan 4, 2012: referred to social services
• Apr 7, 2011: referred to social services

A6983-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                    6983

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                            I N  ASSEMBLY

                                April 7, 2011
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by M. of A. COOK, ORTIZ, PHEFFER -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.
    of A. BOYLAND, COLTON, CYMBROWITZ, DINOWITZ,  GLICK,  HIKIND,  MARKEY,
    McENENY,  J. RIVERA,  SCARBOROUGH,  TOWNS -- read once and referred to
    the Committee on Social Services

  AN ACT to amend the social services law,  in  relation  to  establishing
    mandatory  minimum  medicaid  coverage  for  hospital  confinement for
    childbirth

    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section  1.  Section  365-a  of  the social services law is amended by
  adding a new subdivision 6-a to read as follows:

    6-A. MEDICAID ASSISTANCE SHALL ALSO INCLUDE, FOR MOTHER  AND  NEWBORN,
  COVERAGE OF HOSPITAL CONFINEMENT OF AT LEAST FORTY-EIGHT HOURS FOLLOWING
  A  VAGINAL  DELIVERY AND AT LEAST NINETY-SIX HOURS FOLLOWING A CAESAREAN
  SECTION.   NOTWITHSTANDING THE ABOVE, A  SOCIAL  SERVICES  DISTRICT  MAY
  PROVIDE  COVERAGE  FOR A SHORTER PERIOD OF HOSPITAL CONFINEMENT PROVIDED
  THAT:

    (A) THE MOTHER IN HER SOLE DISCRETION,  EXERCISES  THE  OPTION  TO  BE
  DISCHARGED  FROM THE HOSPITAL EARLIER THAN THE TIME PERIOD STATED ABOVE;
  AND
    (B) THE TREATING PHYSICIAN,  IN  ACCORDANCE  WITH  GENERALLY  ACCEPTED
  MEDICAL  STANDARDS, HAS DETERMINED THAT THE MOTHER AND NEWBORN ARE READY
  FOR DISCHARGE; AND
    (C) POST-DISCHARGE FOLLOW-UP INCLUDES AT LEAST ONE HOME VISIT PROVIDED
  WITHIN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS OF DISCHARGE BY A LICENSED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
  WHOSE SCOPE OF PRACTICE INCLUDES  PROVIDING  POSTPARTUM  CARE  AND  SUCH
  OTHER  HOME  VISITS  AS  ARE  DEEMED  APPROPRIATE. COVERAGE OF SUCH HOME
  VISITS SHALL INCLUDE, AT A MINIMUM,  PARENT  EDUCATION,  ASSISTANCE  AND
  TRAINING  IN  BREAST OR BOTTLE FEEDING AND THE PERFORMANCE OF ANY NECES-
  SARY MATERNAL AND NEWBORN PHYSICAL ASSESSMENTS AND SHALL BE IN  ADDITION

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD02344-01-1

 A. 6983                             2

  TO,  RATHER  THAN  IN  LIEU  OF, ANY HOME HEALTH CARE COVERAGE OTHERWISE
  AVAILABLE.
    S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
  it shall have become a law.