Relates to health insurance for state officers and employees who receive health insurance benefits from the state

• Democratic12
• Republican5

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Jessica Ramos says this is needed

It is important that when accepting a position as an employee of the State of New York, that new hires receive health insurance the date employment begins as they should not be required to go without insurance or to have a lapse in their coverage. Currently, for example, if a Senator or Assemblymember were elected in November, and took office on January 1st of the following year, the possibility that they would experience a lapse in their health insurance coverage is high. Say their previous plan ended on their last day of employment, which we will say was December 31st, they would be without insurance coverage until January 28th because the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP), which is administered by the New York State Department of Civil Service, requires a 28-day waiting period before coverage becomes effective. Often, it is even possible that those having to wait are already partic- ipants of the NYSHIP from their previous position and are now, for some reason, required to have a lapse in their insurance. When someone trans- fers from one state agency to another, there is no waiting period, yet an elected or appointed official is required to experience a waiting period without coverage when they are going from one position covered by a NYSHIP plan to a new position within New York State also covered under the NYSHIP. Furthermore, it is very difficult, as currently written, for New York State to comply with the federal government's Affordable Care Act when it comes to including coverage for preexisting conditions in a plan without penalty, and the requirement that everyone have coverage. With all the changes that have taken place over the last 10-15 years to ensure a healthy public, New York State's Civil Service Commission must implement rules that at the very least parallel those of our federal government. There should be an easy transition from one plan to the next, with no lapse in service when a new hire begins employment, and therefore, the President of the Civil Service Commission must include immediate cover- age upon employment in the State's Health Benefit Plan. Going 28 days without health insurance could be catastrophic.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.