NY A09716

Requires health insurance policies providing pain management coverage to include outpatient coverage for non-opioid treatment of chronic pain, including complementary and integrative treatments.

Prohibits insurers from applying more restrictive financial requirements (deductibles, co-payments, coinsurance, out-of-pocket expenses) or treatment limitations to non-opioid chronic pain treatments than those applied to other medical benefits or opioid-based pain treatments.

Applies to individual policies under Insurance Law Section 3216, group and blanket policies under Section 3221, and contracts issued by hospital service corporations and health service corporations under Section 4303.

Defines chronic pain as pain persisting or recurring for more than three months and specifies that treatment limitations include restrictions on visit frequency, medical necessity standards, provider network standards, and geographic or facility-type restrictions.

Takes effect January 1 following enactment and applies to all policies and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered, or amended on or after the effective date.