NY A02715

Expands Medicaid coverage to include comprehensive obesity treatment, covering intensive behavioral therapy, bariatric surgery, and FDA-approved anti-obesity medications when provided by licensed healthcare practitioners

Prohibits coverage criteria for anti-obesity medications from being more restrictive than FDA-approved indications for those treatments

Requires obesity treatment coverage to have the same deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and benefit limits as coverage for any other illness or medical condition

Allows utilization management for medical necessity determinations, but requires such reviews to follow the same standards applied to other covered conditions

Mandates written notice to Medicaid enrollees about obesity coverage benefits, to be sent with annual information or other mailings within one year of the effective date

Takes effect 180 days after becoming law, with authority to implement necessary regulations immediately