Makes certain persons (meeting certain income requirements) who are eligible for or receiving social security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits eligible for elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage.

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S2380-2011 Actions

• Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO AGING
• Mar 14, 2011: REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
• Jan 19, 2011: REFERRED TO AGING

S2380-2011 Meetings

Aging: Mar 14, 2011

S2380-2011 Votes

S2380-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S2380

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the elder law, in relation to making certain persons who
are eligible for or receiving social security disability insurance
benefits eligible for elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage

PURPOSE:
This bill would add low-income disabled persons to the list of persons
eligible to receive benefits from New York's (EPIC) program.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Amends subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 242 of the elder law to add
persons who are eligible for or receiving social security disability
insurance (SSDI) to the list of eligible participants in the EPIC
program.

JUSTIFICATION:
The EPIC program which offers prescription drug assistance has proven
helpful to many senior citizens who face high costs for
pharmaceuticals, but do not qualify for Medicaid. In recent years,
many programs originally designed to benefit senior citizens -
ranging from Social Security to real property tax reductions - have
been extended to cover disabled persons. This bill recognizes that
through no fault of their own, disabled persons may experience
similar limitations on their ability to independently earn a living
as do elderly citizens.

Advances in pharmaceuticals have also increased their importance in
helping disabled persons remain active in their community. Yet, faced
with severe income limitations, declining availability of
employer-paid health insurance and caps on prescription coverage
which are increasingly being implemented by health insurers, many
disabled individuals are unable to afford the pharmaceuticals which
may be essential to their health. This bill would follow clear
precedent in other programs by extending the EPIC program to include
low-income disabled individuals.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.3056/A.3917 of 2009-10; S.2644/A.5178 of 2007-08

FISCAL IMPACT:
To be determined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
On the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become law.

S2380-2011 Text

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

                                    2380

                         2011-2012 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                              January 19, 2011
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sens.  SEWARD,  BONACIC, DeFRANCISCO, FUSCHILLO, GOLDEN,
    HANNON, LANZA, LARKIN, MAZIARZ, O'MARA, RANZENHOFER -- read twice  and
    ordered  printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
    Aging

  AN ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to making certain persons who
    are eligible for or receiving  social  security  disability  insurance
    benefits eligible for elderly pharmaceutical insurance coverage

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


    Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 242 of the elder law, para-
  graph (b) of subdivision 1 and paragraphs (a) and (b) of  subdivision  2
  as  amended  by  section 14 of part B of chapter 57 of the laws of 2006,
  are amended to read as follows:

    1. Persons eligible  for  comprehensive  coverage  under  section  two
  hundred forty-seven of this title shall include:

    (a) any unmarried resident who is at least sixty-five years of age, OR
  ELIGIBLE  FOR  OR  RECEIVING SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY INSURANCE (SSDI)
  BENEFITS, and whose income for the calendar year  immediately  preceding
  the  effective  date of the annual coverage period beginning on or after
  January first, two thousand [five] TWELVE, is  less  than  or  equal  to
  twenty  thousand dollars.   After the initial determination of eligibil-
  ity, each eligible individual must be  redetermined  eligible  at  least
  every twenty-four months; and
    (b)  any  married resident who is at least sixty-five years of age, OR
  ELIGIBLE FOR OR RECEIVING SOCIAL SECURITY  DISABILITY  INSURANCE  (SSDI)
  BENEFITS,  and  whose income for the calendar year immediately preceding
  the effective date of the annual coverage period when combined with  the
  income  in the same calendar year of such married person's spouse begin-
  ning on or after January first, two thousand [one] TWELVE, is less  than
  or equal to twenty-six thousand dollars. After the initial determination

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD05763-01-1

 S. 2380                             2

  of  eligibility,  each eligible individual must be redetermined eligible
  at least every twenty-four months.
    2.  Persons  eligible  for  catastrophic  coverage  under  section two
  hundred forty-eight of this title shall include:

    (a) any unmarried resident who is at least sixty-five years of age, OR
  ELIGIBLE FOR OR RECEIVING SOCIAL SECURITY  DISABILITY  INSURANCE  (SSDI)
  BENEFITS,  and  whose income for the calendar year immediately preceding
  the effective date of the annual coverage period beginning on  or  after
  January  first,  two thousand [one] TWELVE, is more than twenty thousand
  and less than or  equal  to  thirty-five  thousand  dollars.  After  the
  initial  determination  of eligibility, each eligible individual must be
  redetermined eligible at least every twenty-four months; and
    (b) any married resident who is at least sixty-five years of  age,  OR
  ELIGIBLE  FOR  OR  RECEIVING SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY INSURANCE (SSDI)
  BENEFITS, and whose income for the calendar year  immediately  preceding
  the  effective date of the annual coverage period when combined with the
  income in the same calendar year of such married person's spouse  begin-
  ning  on or after January first, two thousand [one] TWELVE, is more than
  twenty-six thousand dollars and less than or  equal  to  fifty  thousand
  dollars.  After  the initial determination of eligibility, each eligible
  individual must be redetermined  eligible  at  least  every  twenty-four
  months.
    S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
  it shall have become a law.