S 514 New York Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Relates to the mandatory coverage of hearing aids by insurers and other organizations

This bill requires large group health insurance plans to cover hearing aids for policyholders who receive a medical evaluation and have them fitted by a licensed hearing aid provider. It mandates coverage for the cost of hearing aids (up to $2,500 per ear every 36 months) but prohibits insurers from denying coverage based on brand, style, or technology. The law applies to all large group medical, major medical, or comprehensive health insurance policies and ensures coverage for in-network providers. It directly affects insured individuals with hearing loss and the insurers offering these plans.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 8, 2025 Last action May 20, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S514 S514A · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill was amended to add new sponsors and update its legislative history after committee review. The core policy regarding mandatory hearing aid coverage remains unchanged, but the text was reorganized to clarify that coverage applies specifically to insureds under the age of twenty-seven.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding who receives coverage is now explicitly limited to individuals who have not yet reached the age of twenty-seven, whereas the original version did not specify an age limit.
ELIGIBILITY

Added an age requirement stating that hearing aid coverage is only mandatory for insureds who have not attained the age of twenty-seven.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill number from S 514 to S 514--A to reflect committee actions, including recommitment and amendment.

Added new sponsors (Fernandez, May, C. Ryan) and removed previous sponsors (Comrie, Gounardes, Hinchey, Myrie, Salazar, Skoufis) from the introduction list, reflecting changes in the sponsoring coalition.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Amendments
2
May 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
PRINT NUMBER 514A
upper
May 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO INSURANCE
upper
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO INSURANCE
upper
Jan 8, 2025
Committee
REFERRED TO INSURANCE
upper
1 primary · 10 co-sponsors

Sponsors