Healthcare

passed · New York · Senate Mar 9, 2026

S 1855: Strengthens protections for patients regarding sexual misconduct by medical providers

Strengthens protections for patients regarding sexual misconduct by medical providers; requires medical expert consultants involved in investigations disclose conflicts of interest and to not be under investigation, on warning, or on probation; requires a zero-tolerance policy to be adopted and training to be provided on sexual misconduct by the board for professional misconduct; includes provisions related to the right to have a chaperone; includes sexual misconduct in the definition of professional misconduct.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill strengthens patient protections against medical misconduct, aligning with patient rights and safety in healthcare services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · New York · Senate Mar 5, 2026

S 29: Relates to the reporting of lyme and tick-borne disease infection after death

This bill requires coroners, pathologists, medical examiners, and other qualified medical professionals to report cases of Lyme or other tick-borne diseases discovered during post-mortem examinations to the state health department. It directly affects medical examiners and public health officials by mandating timely reporting of such cases. The key provision specifies that reporting must follow methods set by the health commissioner, ensuring standardized data collection. The goal is to improve public health tracking of tick-borne disease fatalities without changing treatment or prevention policies.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates reporting of tick-borne disease cases to health department for improved public health data collection, strengthening disease surveillance and response efforts.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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died · New York · Senate Mar 5, 2026

S 1305: Relates to hospital care for mastectomy, lumpectomy, and lymph node dissection patients

Requires that general hospitals that provide mastectomy surgery, lymph node dissection or lumpectomy provide information to such patients concerning options for breast reconstruction.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires hospitals to provide breast reconstruction options info to patients, enhancing patient autonomy and access to care per healthcare policy standards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · New York · Senate Mar 4, 2026

S 6217: Relates to workers' access to treatment

Allows for treatment costing less than $1,500 to be done without prior approval, and more clearly defines the list of "pre-authorized procedures" as a floor on treatment as opposed to its current status as a ceiling; allows non-network providers of testing to be compensated at the provider network rate negotiated by the carrier.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRemoves prior approval barriers for low-cost treatments, clarifies coverage as minimum (not maximum), and ensures fair reimbursement for non-network providers, improving patient access to care.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · New York · Senate Mar 4, 2026

S 8334: Relates to insurance reimbursement for vaccination for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

S 8334 requires health insurance plans to cover all recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine (SARS-CoV-2), adding it to a list of mandatory immunizations already covered by New York insurance law. This affects insurance companies, healthcare providers, and patients by mandating reimbursement for the vaccine without cost-sharing. The bill amends multiple sections of New York’s insurance and social services laws to include "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2" in required coverage, aligning with federal standards for biological products. It applies to all insurance contracts effective January 1 after the law takes effect.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates insurance coverage for COVID-19 vaccine without cost-sharing, expanding patient access to essential healthcare services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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died · New York · Senate Feb 25, 2026

S 6232: Authorizes a prenatal and postpartum informational mobile application

This bill requires New York's health department to create and operate a free mobile application for individuals eligible for Medicaid who are pregnant, postpartum, or planning pregnancy. The app must provide New York-specific resources, links to state programs, and support in multiple languages, with strict privacy protections prohibiting personal data sharing. Developers must report anonymized usage data (like user numbers and engagement) to state lawmakers. The app will be available across mobile platforms and must comply with state health resource standards.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates free mobile app with prenatal/postpartum resources for Medicaid-eligible individuals, improving healthcare access and protecting patient privacy per bill summary.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyRequires strict privacy protections prohibiting personal data sharing, aligning with data privacy safeguards in technology policy90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · New York · Senate Feb 25, 2026

S 6227: Provides that the commissioner of education may promulgate rules and regulations for a health education curriculum to include menstrual disorders

Provides that the commissioner of education may promulgate rules and regulations for a health education curriculum to include menstrual disorders, including but not limited to, endometriosis.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill expands health curriculum requirements to include menstrual disorders, enhancing student health education content and aligning with curriculum improvement indicators.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates inclusion of menstrual disorders in school health curriculum, advancing health education awareness for women's health conditions.90% confidence | Rep's Stance Voted absent

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passed · New York · Senate Feb 24, 2026

S 1618: Enacts the "New York affordable drug manufacturing act"

Enacts the "New York affordable drug manufacturing act" to direct the commissioner of health to enter into partnerships to increase competition, lower prices, and address shortages in the market for generic prescription drugs, to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for public and private purchasers, taxpayers, and consumers, and to increase patient access to affordable drugs.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates partnerships to lower drug prices, reduce costs for consumers, and increase patient access to affordable medications - directly advancing healthcare affordability.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · New York · Senate Feb 24, 2026

S 4950: Relates to the payment for services at addiction treatment centers operated by the office of addiction services and supports

Requires that services at addiction treatment centers operated by the office of addiction services and supports shall not be refused at such centers if a person is unable to pay.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcarePrevents refusal of addiction treatment services based on inability to pay, ensuring access to care for all patients regardless of financial status.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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in committee · New York · Senate Feb 24, 2026

S 1571: Provides funding for abortion services and travel-related expenses not covered by the military for certain New York state residents

Provides funding for abortion services and travel-related expenses not covered by the military for active duty members of the armed forces of the United States, or their spouses or dependents, who are New York state residents.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareFunds abortion services and travel expenses, expanding access to reproductive healthcare for military families in New York.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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