New York A 6615: Enacts the optometry freedom act

Bill Text

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A06615 Summary:

BILL NOA06615 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS S06813

&nbsp

SPONSORBores

&nbsp

COSPNSRGallagher, Gonzalez-Rojas, Glick, Stirpe, Smullen, Lemondes, Buttenschon, Weprin, Sayegh

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §3246, Ins L

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Enacts the optometry freedom act which prohibits a carrier or vision plan restricting an optometrist's choice of supply.

Go to top A06615 Actions:

BILL NOA06615 

&nbsp

03/06/2025referred to insurance

05/28/2025reported referred to rules

01/07/2026referred to insurance

Go to topA06615 Committee&nbspVotes:

Committee:INSURANCE Chair:Weprin 
DATE:05/28/2025AYE/NAY:21/3 Action: Favorable refer to committee Rules WeprinAyeBlankenbushAye

CookAyeHawleyAye

LavineExcusedPalmesanoAye

SteckAyeGandolfoNay

DilanAyeJensenNay

HunterNayBlumencranzAye

JacobsonAyeBendettAye

MeeksAye

ForrestAye

AndersonAye

CruzAye

BoresAye

LunsfordAye

BergerAye

EichensteinAye

KayAye

YegerAye

WiederAye

Go to topA06615 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA06615 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 6615

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 March 6, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. BORES -- read once and referred to the Committee
 on Insurance

 AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to enacting the "optome-
 try freedom act"

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 2 the "optometry freedom act".
 3 § 2. The insurance law is amended by adding a new section 3246 to read
 4 as follows:
 5 § 3246. Optometry choice of supply. 1. For the purposes of this
 6 section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
 7 (a) "Covered materials" means materials for which reimbursement from
 8 the carrier or vision care plan is provided to an optometrist by a
 9 covered person's plan contract, or for which a reimbursement would be
 10 available but for the application of the enrollee's contractual limita-
 11 tions of deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance.
 12 (b) "Covered services" means services for which reimbursement from the
 13 carrier or vision care plan is provided to an optometrist by an
 14 enrollee's plan contract, or for which a reimbursement would be avail-
 15 able but for the application of the enrollee's contractual limitations
 16 of deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance.
 17 (c) "Materials" means ophthalmic devices including, but not limited
 18 to, lenses, devices containing lenses, ophthalmic frames and other lens
 19 mounting apparatus, prisms, lens treatments and coatings, contact lens-
 20 es, and prosthetic devices to correct, relieve, or treat defects or
 21 abnormal conditions of the human eye or its adnexa.
 22 (d) "Optometrist" shall mean anyone licensed to practice optometry
 23 pursuant to article one hundred forty-three of the education law.
 24 (e) "Services" means the professional work performed by an optome-
 25 trist.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD07963-01-5

 A. 6615 2

 1 (f) "Vision care plan" means an entity that creates, promotes, sells,
 2 provides, advertises or administers, an integrated or stand-alone plan
 3 provisioning for reimbursement for optometric services, or an insurance
 4 policy or contract which provides optometric or medically necessary
 5 benefits to an enrollee pertaining to the provision of covered services
 6 or covered materials.
 7 2. No contract between a carrier or vision care plan and an optome-
 8 trist shall restrict or limit, either directly or indirectly, the
 9 optometrist's choice of sources and suppliers of services or materials
 10 or use of optical labs provided by the optometrist to an enrollee.
 11 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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