BILL NUMBER: S634A
SPONSOR: LIU
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to requiring certain
health insurance policies to provide coverage for diabetes screening for
people having a body mass index of 23 or greater
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Requires certain health insurance policies to provide coverage for
diabetes screening for people if they have a body mass index of 23 KG/M2
or greater.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Sections 1 to 3 amend the insurance law to require health insurance
policies to include coverage for diabetes and prediabetes screening for
individuals with a BMI of 23 KG/M2 or greater.
Section 4 provides the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Research has shown that certain populations have varying risk for type 2
diabetes, and that current Body Mass Index (BMI) guidelines may be inad-
equate in addressing and diagnosing type 2 diabetes in certain popu-
lations.
For example, The American Diabetes Association (ADA), National Insti-
tutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have
all acknowledged that Asian Americans should be screened for diabetes at
a lower BMI than other ethnicities. Eligibility for the CDC's National
Diabetes Prevention Program shows that Asian Americans should be
screened at a BMI of 23 or greater compared to a BMI of 25 or greater
for the rest of the population.
This bill will allow for diabetes and prediabetes screenings to occur at
more inclusive levels of BMI to address the varying risk factors for
certain populations by providing for health insurance coverage of those
screenings, giving medical professionals and patients more flexibility
in obtaining care.
Further, this would encourage more preventative care and allow this
costly disease to be caught and treated early, lowering expenses for
patients and healthcare systems in the long run.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
05/14/24 REFERRED TO INSURANCE
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to policies and
contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such
effective date

Statutes affected:
S634: 3216 insurance law, 3216(i) insurance law, 3221 insurance law, 3221(k) insurance law
S634A: 3216 insurance law, 3216(i) insurance law, 3221 insurance law, 3221(k) insurance law