Authorizes health insurance reimbursement for certified registered nurse anesthetists providing anesthesia services.

---

S903-2013 Actions

• Jan 9, 2013: REFERRED TO INSURANCE

S903-2013 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S903

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the insurance law, in relation to authorizing health insurance
reimbursement for certified registered nurse anesthetists providing
anesthesia services

PURPOSE:
Allows for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAS)
to be eligible for reimbursement under any policy which provides
coverage for anesthesia services at the discretion of the insurer.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the insurance
law allows that at the discretion of the insurance company anesthesia
services provided b a CRNAS may be eligible for reimbursement under
any policy which provides for coverage for anesthesia services.
Section also defines CRNAS.

Section 2 amends the insurance law allows that at the discretion of
the insurance company anesthesia services provided b a CRNAS may be
eligible for reimbursement under any policy which provides for
coverage for anesthesia services. Section also defines CRNAS.

Section 3 amends the insurance law allows that at the discretion of
the insurance company anesthesia services provided by CRNAS may be
eligible for reimbursement under any policy which provides for
coverage for anesthesia services. Section also defines CRNAS.

Section 4 is the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAS) are masters
prepared nurses who are required to undergo a rigorous educational
program, including clinical experience and training and pass a
national exam in order to obtain certification. CRNAs provide safe
and cost effective anesthesia services to patients. However, without
the ability to apply for health insurance coverage, CRNAs are not
assured reimbursement for these services.
In rural and underserved healthcare areas, CRNAs are often the main
providers of anesthesia services, rendering this nursing specialty
absolutely critical to ensuring patient access to affordable, quality
care. Under the current law, a patient's health insurance is not
required to cover anesthesia services provided by a certified
registered nurse anesthetist, even if the service would otherwise be
covered. This imposes an extreme financial inequity and disincentive
on the profession. It is only exacerbated in rural and poor economic
areas. This bill seeks to address that by giving insurance companies
the opportunity include coverage for anesthesia services provided by
certified registered nurse anesthetists.
CRNAs provide the safest level of patient care at the lowest cost to
the patient and the system. A 2010 study published in Nursing
Economics found that there is no difference in patient outcome when
care is provided by CRNAs as compared with anesthesiologists, and
revealed that CRNA independent delivery is not only the least costly


method of providing anesthesia, but that it also generates the
greatest net revenue.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.6168A of 2011-2012

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect January 1, 2014 and shall
apply to policies and contracts issues, renewed, modified, altered
or amended on or after such effective date.

S903-2013 Text

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

                                     903

                         2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 9, 2013
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by Sen. GRISANTI -- 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  authorizing  health
    insurance  reimbursement  for  certified registered nurse anesthetists
    providing anesthesia services

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


    Section  1.  Paragraphs 27 and 28 of subsection (i) of section 3216 of
  the insurance law, paragraph 27 as added by chapter 536 of the  laws  of
  2010  and  paragraph 28 as added by chapter 589 of the laws of 2011, are
  renumbered paragraphs 30 and 31 respectively and a new paragraph  32  is
  added to read as follows:

    (32) AT THE DISCRETION OF THE INSURER, ANESTHESIA SERVICES PROVIDED BY
  A  CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSE-
  MENT UNDER  ANY  POLICY  WHICH  PROVIDES  FOR  COVERAGE  FOR  ANESTHESIA
  SERVICES.    PROVIDED  HOWEVER,  THAT  NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN SHALL BE
  CONSTRUED TO REQUIRE AN INSURER TO REIMBURSE  BOTH  A  PHYSICIAN  AND  A
  CERTIFIED  REGISTERED  NURSE ANESTHETIST FOR PROVIDING THE SAME ANESTHE-
  SIOLOGY SERVICES.  THE TERM "CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST"  AS
  USED  IN  THIS  PARAGRAPH  SHALL  MEAN  A  PERSON WHO HAS SATISFACTORILY
  COMPLETED EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION FOR PROVISION OF THESE SERVICES  IN  A
  PROGRAM  REGISTERED  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION  OR IN A PROGRAM
  ACCREDITED BY A NATIONAL BODY RECOGNIZED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF  EDUCATION
  OR  DETERMINED  BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO BE THE EQUIVALENT; AND
  SUBMIT  EVIDENCE  OF  CURRENT  CERTIFICATION  OR  RECERTIFICATION  BY  A
  NATIONAL CERTIFYING BODY, RECOGNIZED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
    S 2. Subsection (1) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by
  adding a new paragraph 19 to read as follows:

    (19) AT THE DISCRETION OF THE INSURER, ANESTHESIA SERVICES PROVIDED BY
  A  CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSE-

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD04745-01-3

 S. 903                              2

  MENT UNDER  ANY  POLICY  WHICH  PROVIDES  FOR  COVERAGE  FOR  ANESTHESIA
  SERVICES.    PROVIDED  HOWEVER,  THAT  NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN SHALL BE
  CONSTRUED TO REQUIRE AN INSURER TO REIMBURSE  BOTH  A  PHYSICIAN  AND  A
  CERTIFIED  REGISTERED  NURSE ANESTHETIST FOR PROVIDING THE SAME ANESTHE-
  SIOLOGY SERVICES.  THE TERM "CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST"  AS
  USED  IN  THIS  PARAGRAPH  SHALL  MEAN  A  PERSON WHO HAS SATISFACTORILY
  COMPLETED EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION FOR PROVISION OF THESE SERVICES  IN  A
  PROGRAM  REGISTERED  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION  OR IN A PROGRAM
  ACCREDITED BY A NATIONAL BODY RECOGNIZED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF  EDUCATION
  OR  DETERMINED  BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO BE THE EQUIVALENT; AND
  SUBMIT  EVIDENCE  OF  CURRENT  CERTIFICATION  OR  RECERTIFICATION  BY  A
  NATIONAL CERTIFYING BODY, RECOGNIZED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
    S  3.  Subsections (gg) and (hh) of section 4303 of the insurance law,
  subsection (gg) as added  by  chapter  536  of  the  laws  of  2010  and
  subsection  (hh) as added by chapter 589 of the laws of 2011, are renum-
  bered subsections (jj) and (kk) respectively and a new  subsection  (ll)
  is added to read as follows:

    (LL) AT THE DISCRETION OF THE INSURER, ANESTHESIA SERVICES PROVIDED BY
  A  CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSE-
  MENT UNDER  ANY  POLICY  WHICH  PROVIDES  FOR  COVERAGE  FOR  ANESTHESIA
  SERVICES.    PROVIDED  HOWEVER,  THAT  NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN SHALL BE
  CONSTRUED TO REQUIRE AN INSURER TO REIMBURSE  BOTH  A  PHYSICIAN  AND  A
  CERTIFIED  REGISTERED  NURSE ANESTHETIST FOR PROVIDING THE SAME ANESTHE-
  SIOLOGY SERVICES.  THE TERM "CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST"  AS
  USED  IN  THIS  SUBSECTION  SHALL  MEAN  A PERSON WHO HAS SATISFACTORILY
  COMPLETED EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION FOR PROVISION OF THESE SERVICES  IN  A
  PROGRAM  REGISTERED  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION  OR IN A PROGRAM
  ACCREDITED BY A NATIONAL BODY RECOGNIZED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF  EDUCATION
  OR  DETERMINED  BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO BE THE EQUIVALENT; AND
  SUBMIT  EVIDENCE  OF  CURRENT  CERTIFICATION  OR  RECERTIFICATION  BY  A
  NATIONAL CERTIFYING BODY, RECOGNIZED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
    S  4.  This  act  shall take effect January 1, 2014 and shall apply to
  policies and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended  on
  or after such effective date.